Research Workstream
Location, location, location - the where influences the how in co-located services
Published 19/07/2018
Co-located support services, such as Citizens Advice services at GP practices, can play a crucial role in helping both patient/clients and the service provider. A national average shows the almost a fifth of GP consultation time is spent on 'non-clinical' issues presented by clients, but how is this reflected in the poorest and most vulnerable user groups?
Mental health - it’s not just the clients we care about
Published 19/07/2018
Mental Health issues experiences by litigants in person was highlighted as one of the key issues facing the sector but following our Mental Health training in April it emerged that supporting staff and volunteers who engage with distressed people in emotive circumstances is just as important.
HMCTS update on delivering Assisted Digital
Published 29/06/2018
As part of HMCTS court reform process more and more services are moving to online systems. To help people navigate and use these new online tool "Assisted Digital" has been designed to support users of the system. HMCTS have now provided an update on the progress of Assisted Digital design.
How do asylum seekers assert fairness in tribunal hearings?
Published 26/06/2018
New research in progress which looks at resources used by appellant asylum seekers to put their story forward at tribunal hearings. Preliminary findings of new research challenge the notion that asylum seekers play no active role in their own claim.
Evaluating Assisted Digital
Published 21/06/2018
The digitisation of the court process will fundamentally change how litigants in person interact, not just with the courts, but with the whole legal process.
New research will look at the use of “non-lawyers” or “navigators” in civil court cases
Published 21/06/2018
New American research will investigate the use of “non-lawyer” personnel (sometimes dubbed “navigators” or those who fill “roles beyond lawyers”) in supporting litigants in person.
Canada launches 6 year research initiative examining AI in the justice sector
Published 21/06/2018
Led by Professor Karim Benyekhlef, Director of the Cyberjustice Laboratory, and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) Partnership Grants program, ACT aims to increase access to justice through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Help ensure evidence has more real world impact - the lessons from Universal Credit
Published 20/06/2018
The UK Administrative Justice Institute have written a blog post on the recent report by the National Audit Office's independent review of Universal Credit, in particular the observation that the Department for Work and Pensions has resisted accepting the accumulating evidence on hardship caused by delays and sanctions in the administration of Universal Credit. How can researchers help to counter this politicisation of evidence?
Courts work in partnership to create resources for litigants in person
Published 20/06/2018
The Provincial Court of British Columbia, in partnership with Clicklaw, have created (regularly updated) mobile-friendly guides to online legal information resources for self-represented litigants, and others who require assistance when starting out on the path to problem resolution for Provincial Court matters.
Judges in Nova Scotia learn about the challenges faced by the African community in the justice system
Published 20/06/2018
“We all carry with us lived experiences that shape who we are and what we believe, and those experiences help guide the decisions we make...it is important that we take time to better understand the world view of those who turn to us for relief, particularly when those individuals come from a background different than our own.”
How do you rank and define “need” for legal services
Published 20/06/2018
Australia are looking to redress the problem of restricted funding for free legal advice by targeting services to those in greatest need. With half the population experiencing a legal problem each year the challenge is in identifying these individuals so that services can be designed appropriately to meet their needs. This paper form the Law And Justice Foundation of New South Wales looks at one methodology for identification by geographic location.
The fight for Legal Aid continues
Published 20/06/2018
It's been five years since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act came into force and drastically reduced the scope and availability of legal aid funding. We are following the post-implementation review process and feeding back to the Network to enable the views of organisations working directly with litigants in person to be shared.
The rise (and fall?) of Cyberjustice
Published 20/06/2018
From the reform of HMCTS and the introduction of Assisted Digital, to the use of artificial intelligence to predict the outcome of your case, it seems where there's a legal dispute there's a digital solution We've pulled together a brief overview of some of the most relevant developments to look at how their introduction might help, or hinder, litigants in person.
HMCTS Reform Update May 2018
Published 11/06/2018
HMCTS have published their latest update on the progress of the court reform process.
Court reform will have failed if it does not carry the support of court users
Published 08/06/2018
The Ministry of Justice’s top civil servant and the chief executive of HM Courts and Tribunal Service stress that technology will not help deliver justice for everyone and that non-digital systems must remain alongside digital ones.
78% of motorists would not know how to pursue a PI claim on their own
Published 08/06/2018
A survey of 2,080 people by YouGov found that 78% would not know how to bring a claim for damages without legal support if the changes contained in the Civil Liability Bill go through.
Key recommendations from destitution report focuses on access to legal services
Published 07/06/2018
A report jointly commissioned by The Legal Education Foundation and The Joseph Rowntree Foundation explores the role of the law and access to legal services (or lack thereof) in creating pathways into, and out of, destitution.
New research examines the role of community workers in helping people with legal problems
Published 07/06/2018
Recently published research by The Law Foundation of Ontario examines the role of intermediaries in connecting people to legal information and legal help.
Canada focusing on creating a more efficient and effective family justice system
Published 07/06/2018
In the first substantial update of Canada's federal family laws in 20 years, the Canadian Government is progressing on providing a family justice system that works for families and is both accessible and efficient.
National Audit Office report on court reform
Published 06/06/2018
The National Audit Office have reported on HMCTS progress against their court reform proposals.
