The Law Society has warned that access to justice must be protected, ahead of the announcement of the government’s spending review next week.

Law Society president Linda Lee said the government must commit to funding legal aid and warned against spending cuts that restrict access to justice.

She called for the funding of child care, domestic violence, criminal law, police station advice, social welfare, mental health, asylum and clinical negligence advice to be prioritised.

Lee said: ‘Legal aid clients are among the most vulnerable in society and need advice and representation to ensure that they achieve justice and that the rule of law is upheld.’

Rather than reduce the legal aid budget, Lee said the government could make savings by simplifying the law, addressing poor decision-making by public bodies and reforming inefficient court processes. She said that cutting the legal aid budget is a false economy, as research showed giving people appropriate and timely advice through legal aid saved money and court time down the line.

‘Unrepresented clients experiencing housing issues contribute to an increase in court time and costs through forced evictions or drawn out tenancy disputes,’ said Lee.

She said the Law Society recognised that some funding cuts were inevitable, but said that, after six years of cuts, the legal aid budget could not deliver more cash savings.

‘We fear that further cuts will deny thousands of ordinary people access to legal advice and representation when needed,’ she added.