The Law Society has welcomed official studies showing positive results from trials of schemes which provide publicly funded early legal advice to individuals. According to evaluation reports published by the Ministry of Justice, the schemes have saved thousands of people the stress and expense of a court hearing, helping in a total of 36,000 issues over the past two years.

The majority of those seeking support, in areas such as house repossession, managing debt, or seeking help over childcare or custody agreements, were women and nearly everyone coming to advisers found the right help, the evaluation concluded.  

Announcing the findings, justice minister Lord Bellamy KC said that funding for early legal advice 'ensures people have somewhere to turn to regardless of their financial circumstances and can avoid stressful court battles'.  

The Law Society, which has long argued for public supported early legal advice, welcomed the report - but said such services should be part of a broader system of civil legal aid. 'We welcome the recognition from the government that providing support to anyone facing legal issues is a cost-effective investment for the taxpayer,' Society president Nick Emmerson said: 'We hope to see further policies and proposals that build on that recognition.'

These must include 'a sustainably funded legal aid system, rather than expecting advice-providers to live hand-to-mouth on precarious government grants', Emmerson said. 'The Law Society has long called for a more strategic approach to legal support for people who need it.'

The £3.2 million two-year early advice scheme was set up in 2020 by the MoJ and Access to Justice Foundation. The evaluations covered: 

  • The Flourish Wellbeing Hub, established by Citizens Advice Wirral and based at Victoria Central Hospital in Wallasey.
  • The Online Signposting Tool for housing repair, which has received more than 35,553 visitors from renters having difficulties relating to the maintenance and upkeep of their homes. 
  • The Legal Support for Litigants in Person Grant, a two-year grant programme funding a range of earlier intervention services for litigants in person. The MoJ said it has provided over £25 million to organisations providing legal support for litigants in person since 2015. 

Meanwhile, a preliminary report on integrated advice hubs in healthcare settings, set up through health-justice partnerships, also revealed positive outcomes. However it found that: 'Some partnerships have faced practical barriers to co-location, including a lack of sufficient funding for space in healthcare settings.'

Emmerson called for such schemes to be offered more widely. 'Widening legal aid for early advice in family, housing and debt cases, as well as investing in legal aid services to make the system more sustainable, would better provide people with the access to justice they deserve.'

 

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