In recent weeks we have been working with a group of experienced legal aid lawyers to try to get a better understanding of what appears to be a growing and pressing problem: the apparent ‘culture of refusal’ within the LAA.  We have agreed that to gauge the extent of this issue we need a broader understanding of how providers are interacting with the LAA and more data about LAA systems and processes. Garden Court Chambers organised an event in Central London on 9 October 2019 to hear directly from legal aid lawyers; FOI requests have been submitted to the LAA; and we are conducting a survey to gather feedback from civil legal aid providers across the sector.

We need your views to better understand the extent of the problem so please complete this survey.

The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete, unless you want to provide examples, which would be useful but are optional.  Responses can be submitted entirely anonymously, or you can provide your contact details so that we can follow up with you if necessary. Please share this survey with everyone within your firm or organisation and encourage them to share their views.  The survey is designed to be completed by individuals, rather than providing a response from an organisational perspective. Please also feel free to share the link to this survey with civil legal aid lawyers outside of your organisation. The more responses we get, the better we will understand this issues and the potential solutions.

The survey will close on 15 November 2019.