It makes the claim in its ‘21st Century Justice’ report, published this week, where it urges the government to view civil justice as an essential public service like the NHS or education. The ‘111’ for law would be a free artificial intelligence-powered tool which signposts people to the help they need.
The Law Society also urges the government to ‘fix legal aid before all skilled providers completely disappear’—increasing legal aid fees in line with inflation and creating an independent body to conduct regular reviews of fees. It cites the recent cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) as proof the system needs reform, highlights a lack of trust between practitioners and the LAA, and proposes simpler contracts with practitioners. Another suggestion is that the LAA introduce a dedicated email and telephone line so practitioners can check decisions on the financial eligibility of cases are correct.
The Law Society advocates a ‘single ombudsman for every major area of public life’, on the basis that the many ombudsman services confuse consumers. It suggests reforming access to ombudsman services by removing the MP access filter for Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman referrals, empowering ombudsman schemes to undertake investigations and allowing small and medium enterprises access to ombudsman services in energy and telecoms sectors to give them access to more effective redress.
Law Society president Richard Atkinson said: ‘Our report puts forward practical solutions to achieve a vision for redefining a fair justice system that works for the common good.’
Atkinson highlighted that legal aid ‘deserts’ where there is a shortage of providers have left nine in ten people without local support in some areas of law, while only a quarter of county court cases are fully digitised, causing delays.
