The Law Society of England and Wales has highlighted how civil legal aid helps level the playing field for families, in oral evidence presented to the Justice Committee on access to justice and legal aid this week.
“Civil legal aid is a vital public service that supports our communities and reduces the strain on other public services,” said Law Society president Mark Evans (pictured).
“Legal advice helps people to get the protection and support they are entitled to, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. Unfortunately, many people struggle to find legal support, and essential legal aid services are closing down due to government underfunding.”
The latest family court statistics show domestic violence orders continue to rise: there were 9,849 domestic violence protection orders between July and September last year, an increase of 13% compared to the same quarter in 2024.
Evans added:
“Survivors of domestic abuse need support to navigate the complex legal landscape and obtain protection orders. We welcome the government’s long-awaited Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, which will help protect women and girls from abuse and violence.
“However, if the government wants this strategy to succeed, it must ensure survivors can access legal advice, while resourcing and supporting fast and fair family courts.
“The government has a chance to properly fund civil legal aid, to help domestic abuse survivors access justice. This can only be achieved through further investment in civil legal aid and court resources, which will provide vital legal support to our communities, help families secure safe arrangements for children to thrive and reduce court delays.”
Yesterday (7 January), The Law Society welcomed a new parliamentary report from the Public Accounts Committee which shows why the government must sustainably fund legal aid.
The organisation, whose evidence is cited throughout the report, said the committee remains unconvinced that the MoJ has taken the necessary steps to ensure the future of the legal aid market.
“Despite some recent improvement, the government has not done enough to put legal aid on a sustainable footing,” Evans said.
“We welcome the recommendations set out by the Public Accounts Committee and share the view that the MoJ should routinely review profitability and sustainability for all types of legal aid.”
The Law Society president also agreed with the committee’s recommendation that the MoJ should make public the lessons learned from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) cyber-attack, particularly whether funding and provisions are in place to stop it happening again.
“We had long warned about the LAA’s antiquated computer systems,” he said.
“Their fragility has prevented vital reforms, including updates to the means test that could help millions more access legal aid. The cyber-attack has delayed their implementation even further. The MoJ must publish a timetable for implementing all the means test changes.
“Lack of legal aid often leads to more people trying to fight cases on their own, which can cause delays, injustice and costs elsewhere. The MoJ needs to collect better data on the impact of the increase in litigants in person on courts, as the committee recommends.”
