Review of Civil Legal Aid: Social research on user experiences with civil legal aid
These 2 reports, produced by the MOJ, study the experiences of users of civil legal aid.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The User Research reports (User and Trusted Intermediary Perspectives and Provider Perspectives) are the 2 key outputs of the Social Research on User Experiences workstream of the Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA).
This workstream, aims to strengthen the evidence base on user (user refers to the individual receiving legal aid services, who may be referred to as the ‘client’) experiences of the civil legal aid system. It explores user awareness of the civil legal aid system, the barriers they face in accessing it, their experiences of securing support from a provider and working with them, and the reported complexities of legal aid processes for users.
The social research workstream centres on gathering insights through qualitative interviews with three key groups involved in the civil legal aid system: users, organisations that support them to navigate the civil legal aid system (trusted intermediaries), and legal aid providers.
The research captures a comprehensive view of the system by incorporating diverse perspectives. The User and Trusted Intermediary Perspectives report focuses on qualitative findings from users and trusted intermediaries, emphasising the latter’s unique position to discuss user experiences due to their close working relationships and breadth of insight.
The Provider Perspectives report complements this by presenting findings from interviews with civil legal aid providers, who discuss their observations of user experiences and systemic barriers, drawing on their extensive experience serving numerous clients.