Access to Justice Revision Ta…

KEY WORD/PHRASE DEFINITION

Person needs expert help from lawyer/ from someone else with expertise in area of legal
Legal Advice difficulty
Some may need help starting court proceedings and/or presenting case in court
- Lack of knowledge: of nearest solicitor/ which specialises in area of law they need
3 problems in seeking legal
- Fear of dealing with lawyers
assistance
- Cost- solicitors charge from £150- £600 an hour for work (biggest problem)
Access to Justice When a person cannot get help they need, they are being denied access to justice
Definition of Access to 1) Gaining an open system of justice
Justice 2) Being able to fund costs of a case
Various schemes to make law accessible
Schemes
Operation of Citizen’s Advice Bureaux in 1938
There for anyone to use
Costs prevent someone from seeking justice
Courts Cost of civil case in High Court = expensive
Risk of loser paying winner’s costs
Criminal case- person’s liberty at stake
To help those in lower income brackets over the years
Why run schemes?
First time used in 1949
Introduced in 2000
New Scheme
Heavily criticised in LASPO 2012 and set up Legal Aid Agency
Main Services:
LASPO 2012 1) Legal Help under which advice can be given
2) Legal Representation which gives full legal services for whole case
Governmental Funded Government funded Legal Aid agency provides various schemes for both criminal and civil
Advice cases
Civil Law Schemes Help Lines & Help in Civil Cases

Helplines Civil Legal Advice (CLA) is a Gvt funded scheme providing advice in civil cases

- Debt – if your home is at risk

- Housing – homeless or risk of being evicted
What can they give advice - Domestic abuse
on? - Family issues- child taken to care
- Special education needs
- Discrimination
Statistics for CLA 2015-2016 : nearly 160,000 people called CLA telephone service
LAA has contracts with law firms & non-for-profit organisations such as some Citizens
Help in Civil Cases
Advice Offices
What can happen under
Free advice to people on lower incomes
these contracts?
Income limits are very low
Problem with LAA
No one above these limits can use any of these services
Criminal Law Schemes
Advice in criminal cases Anyone held as suspect has right to free legal advice
Duty solicitor scheme Duty solicitor scheme available 24/7
Gvt funded service
2016 – advice given to over 650,000 suspects at police stations

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