Following the government announcement that there will be a review into civil legal aid, Chair Professor of CILEX, Chris Bones, has responded.

The government announcement explained that they will explore options for improving the sustainability of the legal aid system for people facing civil and family legal issues.

The review will commission an external economic analysis of the civil legal aid market to better understand how people access funding and support.

Justice Minister, Lord Bellamy, said:

“This comprehensive review will give us a wealth of evidence on the civil legal aid systems, how services are provided, and of the issues facing the market.

“Identifying how we can make provision work best for everyone will help ensure we are building a more efficient and effective system to deliver sustainable legal aid support well into the future.”

The government will issue a tender this month inviting third parties to bid to undertake the external analysis.

The final report is due to be published in 2024.

In response to this, Chris Bones said:

“CILEX welcomes the Government’s review as a positive opportunity to think creatively to solve the current sustainability issues that are facing civil legal aid. We look forward to taking part in a broad and collaborative approach to explore options that use all available business models and types of lawyers, including CILEX Lawyers, to build a more competent and sustainable system.”