Access to what justice? Rebuilding a sustainable, good-quality legal aid system

Speakers:

Sue James (Legal Action Group)

Emma Marshall (University of Exeter)

Gersi Istrefi

Chair: Rachel Knowles (UCL Laws)

About the Event:

The government recently announced a “historic” 20 million injection into the Legal Aid System, which marked the first increase into the legal aid system in almost 30 years, since 1996.

Whilst this is a welcome step forward, the legal aid system continues to be on the brink of total collapse. An estimated 57% of asylum seekers still cannot access a legal aid solicitor and the number of immigration legal aid providers is dropping. Likewise 43.6% of the population of England and Wales do not have a housing legal aid provider in their local authority area and only 33.3% of the population have cessed to more than one provider in their local authority area (Find out more here: Housing – legal aid deserts | The Law Society).

In this event, we will discuss the issues facing communities who cannot access justice, and share findings and recommendations from various pieces of research that have been carried out on the challenges facing the legal aid system. This includes research on the financial costs of cuts to legal aid, the impact on the quality of services provided under legal aid, and the inadequacy of remote service as a solution to the crisis.

We will also discuss steps that need to be taken to revive the legal aid sector and ensure that all individuals needing advice can access it, as the Government considers responses to its consultation on the recently announced fee uplift.

About the Institute:

The UCL Centre for Access to Justice combines legal education with the provision of pro bono advice to vulnerable communities. The central mission of the Centre is to promote access to justice through research-led education, community activities and evidence-based policy advice.

Photo by Nothing Ahead on Pexels

In-Person | Access to what justice?