CSLS research team have their evidence to a Parliamentary Select Committee published

The House of Commons Justice Select Committee has just published a selection of evidence submitted to it as part of its inquiry into Access to Justice. Professor Linda Mulcahy and Dr Matthew Nesvet from the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies in the Oxford Faculty of Law were amongst those whose evidence was published on the inquiry website on 28th October 2025.  Their submission draws on the preliminary findings of a two-year research project looking at additional funding models for free legal advice which is being supported by the Nuffield Foundation.  Speaking about the submission, Professor Mulcahy said:

It is an incredibly important time for the Select Committee to be looking into access to justice issues.  The free legal advice sector, which helps people manage debt, access benefits in times of need, and secure homes for their families is widely agreed to be in financial crisis.  We are also witnessing the impact that drastic cuts to the legal aid budget introduced in 2013 are having on the ability of law centres and advice agencies to train the next generation of specialist advisers. The aim of our project is to research the different means through which other countries fund free legal advice in the hope of finding a raise of possible solutions to the current crisis.  Our goal is to help ensure that contemporary debate is evidence based and draws on data from around the world. 

The evidence submitted to the Select Committee addresses whether there are funding options which would increase access to justice without impacting the public purse.  The 30-page submission outlines the findings of an analysis of over 200 client interest policies adopted by law firms across England and Wales which outline when, and how, clients can expect to receive interest on the money solicitors hold on their behalf during property conveyances, settlement negotiations and other transactions.  When pooled together in one general client account funds held for clients can generate significant amounts of interest which law firms tend to retain because of the costs involved in passing lots of small amounts of interest back to clients. In 78 jurisdictions across the globe this accumulated interest is paid by banks to access to justice foundations.  The research team have recently returned from the annual meeting of US foundations running these schemes which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. 

This project has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation. Visit nuffieldfoundation.org