Review of Civil Legal Aid
Manuel Bravo Project exists to provide free legal representation to asylum seekers who are not eligible for legal aid.
When we began this work this meant helping those whose cases were deemed to have a low chance of success, in recognition that everyone deserves and requires legal representation to navigate this complex system, where the consequence of error is the breach of an individuals fundamental rights.
Our levels of success in our work demonstrate that the failure to provide this service would be an injustice.
Since the introduction of the ‘Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012’ which restructed the provision of civil legal aid in the UK, we have noticed a steady decline in the availability of legal aid. This decline has hit terminal velocity in the last 5 years, leaving the legal aid system in what can only be described as a crisis.
Manuel Bravo Project has seen an unmanageable increase in high merit appeals that should have legal aid, but are unable to find a representive because of the collapse in provision.
It is in this context that Manuel Bravo Project has drafted their response to the Government’s call for evidence in their ‘Review of Civil Legal Aid.’
Our full response can be found here:
The rising inability of access to justice in the immigration and asylum legal sector is not unique to our experience, and can be seen happening in every catchment area. Our demands for a better legal aid system are echoed throughout the wider sector. The responses to this call for evidence from our friends and partners around the country can be found here:
