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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

DWF—David Kennedy

DWF—David Kennedy

DWF appoints new major injury and casualty partner in Dublin

Keystone Law—12 appointments

Keystone Law—12 appointments

Keystone Law reinforces full-service offering with 12 partner appointments

Haynes Boone—Linton Bloomberg

Haynes Boone—Linton Bloomberg

Linton Bloomberg joins Haynes Boone's London office, expanding cross-border restructuring capabilities

NEWS
Group claims, disputed costs and judicial recruitment dominate the latest courtroom round-up
Landlords face fresh registration duties as procedural reforms reshape the civil courts
Sanctions can derail commercial disputes long before judgment, making early planning essential
Pressure is mounting for a dedicated UK AI law, but deciding what it should achieve remains the central challenge
Legal professional privilege has checked the SRA’s investigative powers, exposing difficult questions about tackling suspected abusive litigation
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