Independent strategic review of legal aid: responses to call for evidence

Independent Review of Legal Aid Call for Evidence

An independent strategic review of legal aid was announced to Parliament by the Minister of Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Annabelle Ewing on 2 February 2017.

The review is chaired by Martyn Evans, CE of the Carnegie UK Trust, and supported by an International and Expert Academic Adviser, Professor Alan Paterson from Strathclyde University and a panel of members drawn from the legal profession and consumer groups amongst others. The Chair is due to produce his independent report in February 2018.

Written submissions were invited between 8 March and 28 May 2017.

Remit

The review has been established by the Scottish Government with the aim to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to: 'engage with the legal profession and others to identify during this year specific measures to reform Scotland's system of legal aid, maintaining access to public funding for legal advice and representation in both civil and criminal cases alongside measures to expand access to alternative methods of resolving disputes.'

The review views its work as being to produce recommendations that will inform Scotland's approach to legal aid over the coming 5 to 10 years. The remit of the review is to consider the legal aid system in 21 ^st century Scotland and how best to respond to the changing justice, social, economic, business and technological landscape within which a modern and flexible legal aid system should operate.