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05 January 2018 / Steve Hynes
Issue: 7775 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Profession
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Frozen out? Civil legal aid

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The review of LASPO should be used as an opportunity to develop a vision for early advice services, says Steve Hynes

Over recent months there have been calls from politicians and campaigners for the government to look at restoring early advice for civil legal problems. The Law Society in November published research which demonstrated the link between early advice and resolving a problem sooner. The Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC, is among the politicians who are now calling for a re-think on early advice. Legal Action Group (LAG) welcomes the increased pressure on the government regarding this issue, but we are warning that action needs to be taken urgently, as civil legal aid is becoming a narrow collection of specialisms dominated by child protection, with shrinking provision for the type of early advice services needed by the general public.

Plummeting numbers

The Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders 2012 Act (LASPO) is the main culprit behind the current crisis. From April 2013 the axe fell on ‘legal help’, the

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