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27 March 2026 / Bhavini Bhatt
Issue: 8155 / Categories: Features , Profession , Legal services , Pro Bono , Charities
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Funding the front line of access to justice

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Millions face legal problems without access to advice: Bhavini Bhatt of the Access to Justice Foundation explains how new funding routes & collective action residues can help close the gap
  • Many across the UK are excluded from access to justice due to lack of free legal advice, with demand far exceeding available support from charities and advice organisations.
  • The Access to Justice Foundation is expanding funding through innovative sources—such as pro bono cost orders and unclaimed collective action damages—to strengthen frontline legal support and reach underserved communities.

We will all face challenging legal issues at times in our lives. It could be an unscrupulous landlord, a discriminatory employer, or any of a myriad of situations. But we don’t all face them with equal access to sound legal advice. Millions of people are excluded from access to justice as they don’t have anywhere to turn for free advice—or don’t know that they can ask for help.

The Access to Justice Foundation is the only

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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