Review of civil legal aid: Comparative analysis of legal aid systems report
This report, produced by the Open Innovation Team, examines policy approaches taken in other legal aid systems.
Applies to England and Wales
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The Comparative Analysis of Legal Aid Systems Report is the primary evidential output of the Comparative Analysis workstream of the Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA). The HM Government Open Innovation Team (OIT) was commissioned in May 2023 by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to undertake a comparative research exercise. The OIT is a cross-government unit in the UK that works with external experts to generate analysis, ideas, and options to support policy development.
OIT explored six other civil legal aid systems aiming to identify promising approaches, initiatives and lessons that could be adapted to the civil legal aid system in England and Wales.
The comparator systems examined are: Australia, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands and the USA, and within the United Kingdom, Scotland.
OIT set out to understand the comparator systems, including challenges they face and policy approaches for tackling them. They also explored the legal aid system in England and Wales, with a view to understanding if approaches taken elsewhere may be adapted to the England and Wales context. This included a literature review on civil legal aid in England and Wales, in-depth exploration of the six comparator systems, and interviews, workshops, and expert panels with academics, researchers, government officials, and practitioners.
This information and evidence will help to inform policy development.