Does anyone know if theres such a thing as a free solicitor/lawyer?

[Lauren]

A close friend to me has been summoned to court,hes now panicking and stressing as he is in debt and cannot afford a solicitor/lawyer but knows he needs someone there to help him, as im not clued up on these sorts of things im getting a little confused looking at Legal Aid and how it works etc, Can anyone help on how to look into this? The court hearing is fast approaching and hes taken the 'bury his head in the sand' route until now, I would be extremely appreciative of any advice many thanks