Society survey seeks to assess impact of legal aid

An online survey to assess the impact of legal aid work in Scotland has been launched by the Law Society of Scotland.

The Society is encouraging solicitors who carry out any work funded by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to complete a short, confidential questionnaire, provided by Rocket Science UK Ltd, an independent research and consultancy company in Edinburgh.

Rocket Science will analyse responses, together with other data and studies, in order to complete a social return on investment (SROI) study to estimate the preventative benefits legal aid has on other areas.

Alan McCreadie, head of research at the Society, explained: “We know that early resolution of legal problems can relieve financial pressure on other areas of public spend by preventing much bigger issues further down the line, before they become more difficult and more expensive to resolve. The results from the survey will help us quantify that knowledge with evidence from our members who carry out that work.

“We’re encouraging all solicitors who carry out legal aid work to spend 10 minutes filling in the survey to let us know about the work they do, and their opinion on the impact that has.”

The deadline for responses is Tuesday 19 September 2017.

Click here to take part in the survey.