The report, ‘The future of legal aid’, published this week, highlights that criminal legal aid firms are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain staff due to a ‘rigid system’ of fixed fees and low pay.
On civil legal aid, it argues early legal advice can make the courts operate more effectively, thus saving costs. It highlights the risks of sustainability issues and the resulting legal aid ‘deserts’, where people cannot access advice on issues such as housing, immigration and community care. It calls for a more flexible approach to funding, giving judges powers to direct that an individual needs representation, and recommends changing the eligibility thresholds.
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘People living below the poverty line are regularly denied legal aid by a too stringent means test.’
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