State of the sector survey snapshot
Natalie Byrom, a researcher at the Centre for Human Rights in Practice at Warwick Law School, writes:
Findings from a survey of 674 individuals working in legal aid funded law indicate that cuts introduced by the LASPO Act threaten to remove years of legal expertise from the sector, to create ‘advice deserts’ in England and Wales and to impact detrimentally on gender diversity within the profession. The survey was designed by the author, and developed and promoted in collaboration with Patrick Torsney and Colin Henderson, leaders of ilegal, an online forum for individuals who work in legal aid funded law. Its findings feed into a wider project evaluating the impact of cuts to legal aid on vulnerable groups.
Loss of expertise from the sector
The findings of the survey indicate the high level of expertise in legal aid funded law possessed by respondents, and furthermore that this expertise is under threat. One in three respondents indicated that they were likely to be made redundant, posing a significant risk to the retention of individuals with specialist expertise.
The results highlight the dedication and commitment of those who responded: of those who provided answers to questions regarding their qualification level and length of time spent in the sector (597), 43 per cent had worked in the sector for over ten years and 75 per cent stated that their highest level of qualification was equivalent to Level 6 on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (a BA Honours degree) or above. This challenges the notion that demand for advice can be met by volunteers.
Advice deserts
The results of this survey indicate that the impact of the cuts to legal aid funded work will not be felt equally across the UK, with respondents from the North of England reported as being disproportionately affected by the risk of redundancy compared with those located elsewhere. Respondents from the North of England accounted for 31.2 per cent of the total respondents to the survey, but 37.1 per cent of all respondents who reported being at risk of redundancy.
Gender diversity and the profession
Based on the results of this survey, the cuts to legal aid funding may represent a threat to gender diversity within the profession. Of those respondents who said that they would not be seeking new employment within the sector, 70 per cent were women.
Highly qualified women who have worked in the sector for eight–ten years are disproportionately affected by the risk of redundancy within this group of respondents. Of those respondents who had worked in the sector for eight–ten years and held a highest qualification at Level 8, 68.4 per cent were female; however, female respondents comprised 87.5 per cent of those in this category who reported being at risk of redundancy.
Fighting spirit
The findings of this survey also capture the passion and resilience of those working in the sector, who describe themselves as: ‘dismayed and despondent but not out’.