The Access to Justice Foundation
The Access to Justice Foundation has been established to receive and distribute additional financial resources that will help to get free of charge (pro bono) legal assistance to those who need it most (see our aims).
The Foundation will receive monies raised by schemes, of which the scheme under section 194 of the Legal Services Act 2007 is the first. Taking a strategic view, it will distribute those monies to Regional Legal Support Trusts, to the national pro bono organisations, and to projects. The Regional Legal Support Trusts will in turn distribute to local advice agencies and law centres. This new initiative will help in the overall effort to provide practical “access to justice” to those unable to afford help.
Pro bono legal assistance complements, but is not a substitute for, legal aid (ie publicly funded help). In the same way with the Foundation - it is directed to supporting the delivery of pro bono advice or assistance, but never in place of the legal aid system.