The story of legal aid
This year around 2 million people with legal problems in England and Wales will get the advice and representation they need through legal aid.
It might be...
... at a police station or in court when they have been arrested on suspicion of a crime.
Or it might be...
... help to settle a child care dispute, to keep their home or to resolve a problem with debt.
The service might be delivered face to face, at a walk-in centre or by telephone – and by a solicitor, barrister, solicitor advocate or advice professional.
Giving people who can least afford it access to justice
Legal aid provides a vital safety net and makes our society a civilised one.
But it wasn’t always like this.
The turning point was 60 years ago with the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949.
This is a brief history of legal aid, before and since.