The Judicial Support Service Is Threatened As The Ministry Of Justice Withdraws Funding Legal Aid

It comes as the number of people struggling to get justice without a lawyer has skyrocketed after rapid cuts in legal aid in 2013. The charity Support Through Court has been funded mainly by the Ministry of Justice for the last eight years, but was informed that this will stop at the end of the month. Formerly known as the Personal Support Unit, it has offices in 20 civil and family courts across England and Wales, using volunteers to provide practical and emotional assistance to those who only tour the judiciary. It is one of the many charities working with unrepresented people in the courts whose funding is questionable since the government ended its strategy for the parties earlier this year. They were told that there would be grants for which they could apply in the future, but were given no idea how many they would be or what the timetables would be. With a deficit of 400 400,000 in its budget, Support Through Court is set to file an urgent appeal for resources, without which it faces the prospect of redundancies and the closure of some of its offices. Eileen Pereira, the charity’s managing director, said: “Every day hundreds of people without access to legal aid enter court buildings in need of support and guidance, and this is only expected to increase as the cost of living increases. Without the funding we have received for eight years, we are facing the real possibility of closing the doors on the support we provide to these people. “Ending up closing any of our services would have a devastating impact, not only on the clients we support but on the entire judicial system.” Legal aid was removed in most civil cases and almost all private family law in 2013. Since then, the proportion of private family law hearings where both parties have a lawyer has almost halved to one in five. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST The most common scenario in private family hearings is that only one party has a lawyer, representing 42% of all cases last year. Legal experts say this creates unequal conditions of competition in disputes over issues such as access to children and the separation of finances. Alex Cunningham, the shadow minister for the courts, said: “Our courts are bending over with overwhelming delays and this is entirely characteristic of the Tory myopia and inability of our judiciary to function. “Attending hearings can be a very stressful experience and the courts are more effective when the parties are informed and supported through the process. “Workers will begin to deal with delays and restore order in the criminal justice system.” While 81% of all civil plaintiffs – such as debt-seeking companies – have lawyers, only 44% of those defending them are represented. The president of the Bar Association of England and Wales, I Stephanie Boyce, said: “The cuts in legal aid have forced more and more people to have to appear in person in court as parties. What they need most is legal advice and representation, but Support Through Court provides practical and emotional support that can help them through stressful court hearings. “It would be another blow to people trying to navigate the judiciary if state funding for this important service were removed.” The funding shortfall faced by specialist legal and advisory support services is ,5 17.5 million for the period 2022-23, according to data collected by the Community Justice Fund. A Justice Department spokesman said: “We want access to timely legal aid to those who need it most, and charities will soon be able to bid on new grant funding so that even more people can benefit from their services.”

title: “The Judicial Support Service Is Threatened As The Ministry Of Justice Withdraws Funding Legal Aid " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Karen Devore”

It comes as the number of people struggling to get justice without a lawyer has skyrocketed after rapid cuts in legal aid in 2013. The charity Support Through Court has been funded mainly by the Ministry of Justice for the last eight years, but was informed that this will stop at the end of the month. Formerly known as the Personal Support Unit, it has offices in 20 civil and family courts across England and Wales, using volunteers to provide practical and emotional assistance to those who only tour the judiciary. It is one of the many charities working with unrepresented people in the courts whose funding is questionable since the government ended its strategy for the parties earlier this year. They were told that there would be grants for which they could apply in the future, but were given no idea how many they would be or what the timetables would be. With a deficit of 400 400,000 in its budget, Support Through Court is set to file an urgent appeal for resources, without which it faces the prospect of redundancies and the closure of some of its offices. Eileen Pereira, the charity’s managing director, said: “Every day hundreds of people without access to legal aid enter court buildings in need of support and guidance, and this is only expected to increase as the cost of living increases. Without the funding we have received for eight years, we are facing the real possibility of closing the doors on the support we provide to these people. “Ending up closing any of our services would have a devastating impact, not only on the clients we support but on the entire judicial system.” Legal aid was removed in most civil cases and almost all private family law in 2013. Since then, the proportion of private family law hearings where both parties have a lawyer has almost halved to one in five. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST The most common scenario in private family hearings is that only one party has a lawyer, representing 42% of all cases last year. Legal experts say this creates unequal conditions of competition in disputes over issues such as access to children and the separation of finances. Alex Cunningham, the shadow minister for the courts, said: “Our courts are bending over with overwhelming delays and this is entirely characteristic of the Tory myopia and inability of our judiciary to function. “Attending hearings can be a very stressful experience and the courts are more effective when the parties are informed and supported through the process. “Workers will begin to deal with delays and restore order in the criminal justice system.” While 81% of all civil plaintiffs – such as debt-seeking companies – have lawyers, only 44% of those defending them are represented. The president of the Bar Association of England and Wales, I Stephanie Boyce, said: “The cuts in legal aid have forced more and more people to have to appear in person in court as parties. What they need most is legal advice and representation, but Support Through Court provides practical and emotional support that can help them through stressful court hearings. “It would be another blow to people trying to navigate the judiciary if state funding for this important service were removed.” The funding shortfall faced by specialist legal and advisory support services is ,5 17.5 million for the period 2022-23, according to data collected by the Community Justice Fund. A Justice Department spokesman said: “We want access to timely legal aid to those who need it most, and charities will soon be able to bid on new grant funding so that even more people can benefit from their services.”