This report looks at UK legal knowledge and capability in the context of cuts to legal aid, legal and other advice and concerns about their impact on access to justice.
Key findings
The report discussed the uneven distribution of legal capabilities, matched to other capabilities. It also looked at the role of previous experience or knowledge in framing responses to legal issues. The report assessed the role of confidence in enabling or hindering the effective use of legal knowledge and systems.
It found that legal issues that were not dealt with can lead to or compound financial issues and that legal issues can lead to poor physical and mental health and stress.
Conclusions and recommendations
The evidence suggests the urgent need for justice reforms to focus on the capability of individuals and communities in solving everyday legal issues.
Future reform agendas should:
- Recognise the value of public legal education
- Recognise the impact of improving legal capability
- Recognise the need for community provision of PLE, and
- Focus on methods to develop multidimensional and multi-format legal assistance, information and guidance.
Methodology
This research report was produced in parallel with Professor Pascoe Pleasence, Dr. Nigel Balmer, and Dr. Catrina Denvir ‘How People Understand and Interact with the Law’ (2015). The report considers the analysis of the English and Welsh Civil and Social Justice Panel Survey data alongside a wider literature review of associated public legal education and information programme research, policy contexts and impact studies.
