This paper will first summarise the means regulations. It will then explore the discord between the regulations and financial reality, and the way in which this can exclude applicants who lack the resources needed to maintain an acceptable standard of living, let alone pay for legal services. Finally, it will identify two household types who…
12 Jul 2018
The Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), and the subsequent secondary legislation, significantly changed the way that civil legal aid operates. Changes were made not only to the scope of legal aid, but also to the procedures and processes that clients and lawyers had to follow in order to access funding…
14 Jun 2018
This briefing paper explores effects of the LASPO reforms on civil legal aid provision in Wales. It draws on Welsh and UK Government statistics and reports; publications by legal professional bodies, Parliamentary Committees, Independent Commissions and the voluntary sector; academic sources; informal consultations with solicitors and advice charities. Download here…
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) limited the availability of civil legal aid, removing large areas of law from within scope of legal aid. In response to concerns about LASPO, the government included a provision for funding to be made available in certain cases, which would otherwise be outside of…
22 May 2018
This briefing paper provides an overview of the PLP research report ‘Keys to the Gateway: an Independent Review of the Mandatory Civil Legal Advice Gateway.’ The introduction of the mandatory CLA Gateway for Debt, Discrimination, and Special Educational Needs marked a major shift in the delivery of publicly funded legal advice. This briefing looks at…
The overview provided in this briefing paper identifies five key issues relating to the availability of early legal advice, which arise from the reforms to civil legal aid made by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). This briefing paper reviews existing research conducted by other organisations that documents how the…
1 May 2018
In England and Wales, questions of money and finance have become more important in the discussion around judicial review in recent years. On the claimant side, there are widespread access to justice concerns relating ot the costs of bringing a judicial review. On the government side, there has been a view taken – which has…
26 Apr 2018
The issue of how and when legal intervention is best used in system change is one that has received little attention in the UK previously. Yet assumptions are made by those who use the law as to how effective legal tools are in successfully challenging unfair systems. Here we are publishing a literature review on the use and…
10 Apr 2018
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) significantly limited the availability of legal aid in civil and family law. Whilst public law family cases remained in the scope of legal aid under LASPO, most private family law matters became ineligible for legal aid, with the exception of funding for some victims…
This document sets out an initial research strategy for PLP, to operate from 2018 to 2020. The context of this strategy is PLP’s overarching strategic plan, and the organisation’s agreed priorities and goals for the period. In addition, a key aim this initial period is to confirm the PLP’s identity as a producer of high-quality,…
5 Apr 2018
The research presented here focuses on the feasibility of developing access to legal aid through the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme, by setting up and running ECF projects in university law schools. This report contributes to PLP’s existing research undertaken in partnership with university law clinics,1 which seeks to develop knowledge and understanding about the…
Tribunals are a major part of the administrative justice system. The Government has begun to introduce digital procedures in tribunals but the full details of the changes remain to be seen. This report—commissioned by the UK Administrative Justice Institute—outlines ‘what we know and what we need to know’ about the digitalisation of tribunals. It takes…