Cuts to legal aid in the UK eliminate an important 'reality check' for litigants

An interesting article here from The Guardian about the effect that cuts in legal aid may have upon the British court system and those that use it to try and get justice. The article anticipates that when the legal aid cuts go through – scrapping legal aid for social welfare law cases and private family law cases – "DIY law" will go mainstream. This means that many prospective litigants will no longer have the benefit of early advice or ‘early intervention’ regarding the merits, value and costs of bringing a legal action: the reality check will disappear. "Everyone we speak to agrees litigants-in-person will increase once access to early intervention social welfare law and family is removed," says Alison Lamb, director of the Royal Courts of Justice CAB.

Cuts to legal aid in the UK eliminate an important 'reality check' for litigants guardian.co.uk Thu, Aug 11, 2011