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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 Abbott & Claire Keat

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Senior appointments in insurance services and commercial services announced

Clyde & Co—Nick Roberts

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Aviation disputes practice strengthened by London partner hire

Ellisons—Marion Knocker

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Residential property lawyer promoted to partnership

NEWS
Prosecutors will speed up preparations for charging hate crimes, under Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance issued in response to the surge in antisemitic incidents
Improvements to courts, tribunals and the wider justice system in the north are being held back by a lack of national and local collaboration, according to thinktank JUSTICE North
A family judge has criticised the prison authorities for mistakenly freeing a father who abducted his own son
The Law Society has renewed its calls for compensation for legal aid firms affected by the cyber-attack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA)
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has secured a £10m penalty plus £4.8m in costs from manufacturer Ultra Electronics Holdings, under the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for failure to prevent bribery
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