Law Society to highlight civil legal aid crisis at Holyrood inquiry

The Law Society of Scotland will ensure a newly launched Holyrood inquiry understands the extent of the crisis in civil legal aid, and the changes required to restore the system.

The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee yesterday launched a call for views as part of a new inquiry into the civil legal aid.

The Holyrood committee has indicated the inquiry has been launched on the basis of evidence already presented showing significant issues making it difficult for people to access civil legal assistance.

The Law Society said last month that a discussion paper and other limited measures announced by the Scottish Government fail to reflect the urgency and scale of the crisis in legal aid.

The Co-convener of the Law Society’s Legal Aid Committee, Pat Thom, said: “This Holyrood inquiry is a welcome chance to highlight the problems with civil legal aid, the unacceptable impact that is having on access to justice in Scotland, and what the potential solutions are to restore the system.

“Solicitors have been warning for years that Scotland’s legal aid system is under enormous pressure. In this civil context, vulnerable people are being forced to deal with traumatic legal situations across critical parts of their lives including their housing, relationships and work.

“We hope that people and organisations with first-hand knowledge of the civil legal aid system will contribute to this inquiry, including solicitors, law centres and the growing number of people facing legal challenges without the expert advice they need.

“Political attention from first the Scottish Government and now a Holyrood committee is a positive development. We need to quickly move beyond examining the problem to identifying and implementing solutions.

“Without action, solicitors will continue to turn away from civil legal aid work. Around a third of Scotland’s legal aid solicitors are approaching retirement age, and many younger solicitors cannot see legal aid work being part of their working lives.”

The Law Society’s public campaign, Legal Aid Matters, continues to highlight the need for urgent action to restore Scotland’s legal aid system. You can support the campaign by signing our pledge.