Government survey highlights extent of legal difficulties post-LASPO
Nearly one in three adults in England and Wales has experienced at least one legal problem in the past 18 months, according to a government survey.
The latest Legal Problem and Resolution Survey was conducted in 2014-15, a year after the legal aid reforms introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and Jackson reforms to fee and insurance arrangements. More than 10,000 telephone interviews were carried out into civil, family and administrative legal problems experienced by adults in England and Wales.
Of those who considered using a court or tribunal to resolve their problem but didn’t, 10% mentioned court fees as a reason. Of those adults who did not obtain help from a legal or professional adviser, 16% said they did not do so due to cost.
Some 27% of adults had experienced a civil legal problem, 10% had an administrative legal problem and 1% had a family problem. The most common problems related to purchasing goods or services (8%), neighbours’ anti-social behaviour (8%) and money problems (excluding personal debt) (7%).
Overall, one in ten adults who had experienced a problem had taken part in independent conciliation, mediation or arbitration, 5% had contacted a regulator or ombudsmen and 5% had been involved in a court or tribunal case.
Most people with a legal problem try to do something about it, but only about half seek professional help or resort to a formal process. .
The report concludes: “Overall, the findings suggest that adults vulnerable to disadvantage are more likely to experience problems, and so could benefit from some targeted support. More work is however needed to explore what support would be most useful.”
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