Exploring the Access to Justice Foundation

The Access to Justice Foundation is a national charity that raises funds and distributes them strategically to those advice agencies who can make the most difference to the lives of vulnerable people. We fund law centres, local citizens’ advice, independent advice agencies, pro bono projects and national charities, which help to facilitate access to justice.

To ensure help reaches those most in need, we work in partnership with committees across the regions of England, in Wales and in Scotland. We also work to support the sector in other ways, consulting with sector organisations around what we can most usefully do to support them. This includes exploring new and better ways for the sector to collaborate and to increase the effectiveness of the sector, working closely with other advice funders and working closely with other partners.

Unclaimed client accounts are a large part of our fundraising activity and are an easy way that firms can help give access to justice. Our fundraising events and campaigns are also a vital source of income for access to justice services in England, Scotland and Wales and include the regional Legal Walks; the Go the Extra Mile for Justice virtual challenge; the Great Legal Bake and Great Legal Quiz, corporate partnerships, and Pro Bono Costs Orders.

The current situation

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, times were already challenging for those seeking access to justice and the organisations determinedly trying to support them. The reduction in the availability of public funding alongside other changes, such as the welfare benefit reforms, continues to fuel the desperate need for good quality free legal advice and has resulted in a reduced and uneven provision of free legal assistance across the country.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on the justice system, not least the advice sector where across the UK, people experiencing problems with income, housing, employment, immigration, and access to health or social care and education need the vital support of advice agencies during this challenging time. Agencies have been faced with increased costs as they were forced to move to remote working at a time of increased demand for their services and uncertainty of income.

In response to this emerging crisis, the Access to Justice Foundation joined forces with six other grant giving foundations to launch the Community Justice Fund, an initiative to provide financial and other support to specialist social welfare legal advice organisations to cope with the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lay the foundations for longer-term renewal. In the first round of funding, over £11.5m has been awarded to 178 not-for-profit specialist legal advice services.

Despite this early support, the situation remains critical, with many legal advice charities facing a financial cliff edge in 2021 due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, plus the likely increase in demand for advice as the economic fallout starts to hit. This is an increasingly challenging time for the sector, and we will continue doing all that we can to support and sustain the provision of specialist legal advice across the UK.

How can you help?

The process of donating your firm’s unclaimed client accounts is a fantastic way to help the most vulnerable people in society get access to justice. These funds may seem trivial, ranging from a few pence to a few thousand pounds but, to put it in perspective, in the UK there are an estimated 500,000 unclaimed client accounts worth approximately £500m, so the potential support these funds could provide for access to justice services is huge. The process of donation is both straightforward and 100% risk free, as the foundation can provide the relevant indemnity to repay your firm if the client resurfaces, so there is no risk to you or your firm. For more information visit: www.atjf.org.uk/unclaimed-client-accounts or email clientbalances@atjf.org.uk.

Our annual events are also a fun and challenging way to lend your support and raise much needed funds for the advice sector. Our Legal Walks are due to return in both the summer and autumn months and offer a great opportunity for the legal community to join together and raise money and awareness for support services in their local region. We also offer a range of corporate partnership opportunities for firms or individuals who want to make a difference in the social justice sector.

The support from the legal profession is essential to the work that we do. Without the generosity, help and contributions from those in the community, we would not have been able to support the organisations on the front line that help get justice for those most in need. In 2021, that support is needed now more than ever.

To find out more about the Access to Justice Foundation and how you can get involved with the work we do, visit: atjf.org.uk. 

Greg Hodder is the Head of Development at the Access to Justice Foundation. Greg is responsible for fundraising and communications.