Legal Aid Census: A chance for us all to stand up and be counted

On behalf of Rohini Teather, Head of Parliamentary Affairs at the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) we ask for your help with a major piece of research launched on 12th April – the Legal Aid Census.

We know that the crisis in the justice system was not caused by COVID-19. This was a crisis born of political contempt and decades of cuts and underfunding. We also know that in the current climate there is a rare and long-overdue opportunity to change this, if we all pull together. We have two government reviews underway into the sustainability of Civil and Criminal Legal Aid. Both of these reviews have thrown the responsibility to gather evidence onto the sector - which is why the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) has launched its first ever Legal Aid Census, and why we need your support.

We are calling on you and members of your circuit who practice wholly / partially or who previously practiced in the legal aid sector to help us gather robust, irrefutable evidence about the state of the legal aid sector - and bring about the change we all know is needed. 
 
The link to the census is here

Further reading and FAQ's here
 
Information on legal aid providers has been scant since the government ceased collecting data in 2013. Government has resisted our calls since LASPO to collect this vital information. Now, as we emerge from the pandemic into the worst recession on record, we need government to take an evidence-based approach to policy-making. It is difficult to find accurate, comparative data from earlier periods and what data we do have tells us very little about the viability of the sector. We know very little else about the legal aid ecosystem and how it relates to the justice system as a whole. To make the case for urgent reform, we need to know more. This lack of data is particularly apparent at the bar with there being no central directory of chambers or practitioners doing publicly funded work and information on chambers ceasing doing such work often only arising if a set dissolves.

The Legal Aid Census has been in the planning for over a year and we have been working with an independent group of academics from Newcastle, Cardiff and UCL universities. We launched the census on 12 April and it will run for two months. LAPG won’t see the raw data and it will be completely anonymised prior to the academics writing their report. The data will be analysed over the summer and the report published in the autumn in time for the Treasury Spending Review and to feed into Sir Christopher Bellamy’s Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid. We’ve been meeting with him to discuss their use of the data. This research is also closely aligned to and will influence the Westminster Commission Inquiry into the Sustainability of Legal Aid co-ordinated by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid.

Please help us by encouraging your members to participate in the census, and spreading the word as widely as you can. We need as many people as possible to take part for this to work and there is such a need for evidence in this area.  We would also be delighted if you would support the census by signing our open letter as leader of your circuit. We have had a lot of support across the sector, with signatories including the Bar Council and Shelter. We know how important the circuits are as a hub of support for members and it would incredibly useful to have your backing for this important campaign. I have attached copies of the documents that are part of our campaign pack for more information.

Throughout the Legal Aid Census campaign we will be using #WeAreLegalAid  #LegalAidCensusand #StrengthInNumbers and you will see mentions of the campaign in the mainstream and legal press for the two months that the census is open. We would be grateful if any social media posts are made using these hashtags.

Stand with us and stand up for legal aid.

Sincerely,

Chris Moss, for and on behalf of Rohini Teather

Administration Officer 
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid
Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG)