header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us

The justice gap revisited

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
08 February 2018 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7780 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus
printer mail-detail
nlj_7780_robins

Jon Robins pays tribute to Sir Henry Brooke—a tireless & effective campaigner

Yet further evidence of the health benefits of early access to legal advice was published last month. It was revealed that almost one-third of people with legal problems in the UK suffered a stress-related or physical illness as a result. The research was part of the New York-based World Justice Project’s (WJP) annual Rule of Law Index.

That finding chimed with the experience in other countries. In the UK, 31% of respondents who experienced a legal issue over the past two years said they had developed some form of illness as a result which was the same figure as Canada and 1% higher than the US.

This April will mark the fifth anniversary of the biggest cuts to the legal aid scheme in the UK since it was introduced after the Second World War. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) removed around £600m from the legal aid budget by cutting entire areas of law from

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
University of Manchester: The LLM driving tech-focused career growth

University of Manchester: The LLM driving tech-focused career growth

Manchester’s online LLM has accelerated career progression for its graduates

mfg Solicitors—Philip Chapman

mfg Solicitors—Philip Chapman

Regional firm strengthens corporate team with partner hire

Switalskis—Sally Christey, Mathew Abiagom & Cyman Kaur

Switalskis—Sally Christey, Mathew Abiagom & Cyman Kaur

Commercial property team expands with trio of appointments

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: What judging really demands
Judging is ‘more intellectually demanding than any other role in public life’—and far messier than outsiders imagine. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC reflects on decades spent wrestling with unclear legislation, fragile precedent and human fallibility
NLJ this week: AI comes for the billable hour
The long-predicted death of the billable hour may finally be here—and this time, it’s armed with a scythe. In a sweeping critique of time-based billing, Ian McDougall, president of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, argues in this week's NLJ that artificial intelligence has made hourly charging ‘intellectually, commercially and ethically indefensible’
NLJ this week: Civil procedure—sharp elbows & sharper warnings
From fake authorities to rent reform, the civil courts have had a busy start to 2026. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold surveys a procedural landscape where guidance, discretion and discipline are all under strain
NLJ this week: Getting the facts right in family courts
Fact-finding hearings remain a fault line in private family law. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors analyse recent appeals exposing the dangers of rushed or fragmented findings
NLJ this week: Sporting justice—at sprint speed
As the Winter Olympics open in Milan and Cortina, legal disputes are once again being resolved almost as fast as the athletes compete. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Ian Blackshaw of Valloni Attorneys examines the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS's) ad hoc divisions, which can decide cases within 24 hours
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll