How legal aid is changing

On this page:

Making sure legal aid is there for those who need it most
What do these changes mean for legal aid clients?
What other benefits are there for clients?
For more information

Making sure legal aid is there for those who need it most

Legal aid has been around since 1949. Read more on The story of legal aid page.

In 2006/07 we helped more than two million people access legal advice.

But the growing demand for help and the fact that our budget is limited means fundamental change is necessary. We need to make sure that legal aid remains available to all who need it.

To do this we are transforming the way we deliver legal services by:

working only with providers whose commitment and quality we trust
changing the way we pay providers so we can control our budget
transforming ourselves to cut administration costs and become more efficient.

What do these changes mean for legal aid clients?

Legal aid clients are central to our vision. Our transformation programme will:

make more money available for civil legal aid (eg housing, debt and family problems)
ensure that our funding is being spent in parts of the country and areas of law where it is most needed and can most make a difference to peoples’ lives
provide a joined-up service for clients through our integrated social welfare law centres and networks
help the maximum number of eligible clients possible within our fixed budget.

What other benefits are there for clients?

Other benefits you will notice include:

cases will be shorter as solicitors and advisors will be able to make their own decisions
less form filling
more information early on in the case about how much you may be expected to pay back or gain back
a stronger relationship with your solicitor or advisor
with less LSC involvement your case can be treated more like that of a private client.

For more information

Visit the About us>Transforming legal aid pages to read more about how what these changes mean for legal aid providers.

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Last updated: 27 July 2009