Lack of legal aid triggers mental health problemsRecent cuts to legal aid eligibility have dissuaded as many as 70 per cent of potential civil claims, research released this week will show, while that those that do pursue claims without professional assistance suffer a range of negative impacts.
A study from the charity Citizens Advice claims that the British court system is woefully unprepared for the significant increase in unrepresented claimants. Litigants in person have increased dramatically since legal aid eligibility was dramatically slashed by implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act in 2013.
But the charity network says in its report that “a bad experience for court users … can mean litigants in person achieve worse outcomes compared with their represented counterparts”.
Results are only part of the story. According to the report, 90 per cent of litigants in person claimed that the experience had a detrimental effect on their mental and physical health. It also put strain on litigants’ working lives and finances, with many losing paid hours or their jobs.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said that problems were particularly acute for unrepresented parties in the family cases.
“For people representing themselves in the family courts, whether in a divorce case or to keep the legal right to see their children, the workload to prepare can be unmanageable,” Guy said. “In extreme cases people are quitting their job so they have the time to do research before going to court.
“The stress of making your case against qualified barristers and navigating complex court processes without the right guidance can make existing mental and physical health problems worse. If people representing themselves in court knew where they could get reliable information online or face to face this could help cut down the time they need to prepare.”Lack of legal aid triggers mental health problems
Recent cuts to legal aid eligibility have dissuaded as many as 70 per cent of potential civil claims, research released this week will show, while that those that do pursue claims without professional assistance suffer a range of negative impacts.
A study from the charity Citizens Advice claims that the British court system is woefully unprepared for the significant increase in unrepresented claimants. Litigants in person have increased dramatically since legal aid eligibility was dramatically slashed by implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act in 2013.
But the charity network says in its report that “a bad experience for court users … can mean litigants in person achieve worse outcomes compared with their represented counterparts”.
Results are only part of the story. According to the report, 90 per cent of litigants in person claimed that the experience had a detrimental effect on their mental and physical health. It also put strain on litigants’ working lives and finances, with many losing paid hours or their jobs.
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said that problems were particularly acute for unrepresented parties in the family cases.
“For people representing themselves in the family courts, whether in a divorce case or to keep the legal right to see their children, the workload to prepare can be unmanageable,” Guy said. “In extreme cases people are quitting their job so they have the time to do research before going to court.
“The stress of making your case against qualified barristers and navigating complex court processes without the right guidance can make existing mental and physical health problems worse. If people representing themselves in court knew where they could get reliable information online or face to face this could help cut down the time they need to prepare.”
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