Government Announces £3.1m Funding Plan for Litigants in Person

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Access to Justice Foundation have worked together on a joint initiative to provide a grant worth £3.1 million to support litigants in person, (a person, company or organisation that makes a legal claim without aid from a legal representative, such as a solicitor or barrister) as part of the ‘MOJ’s Legal Support Action Plan’.

Organisations within the not-for-profit sector will receive funding to provide legal support for those who do not have representation. The MOJ have said this will help educate those individuals regarding legal processes and help them to understand their rights within them. In addition to this they will receive practical support throughout court proceedings.

The Ministry have announced that they have already allocated over £500,000 in grants to national charities. These grants have been used for:

• improving support helplines
• web-based advice
• online hubs

The aim of this is to support those on lower incomes to access key legal advice.

An additional £270,000 has been allocated for emergency support to ensure organisations can still continue to provide advice and offer their services to litigants in person during the coronavirus pandemic.

Simon Bladen, Legal Partner at Hawsons commented: This is a very positive announcement in a time of need and hopefully these measures are another step towards improved access to justice for all.

How can we help?

At Hawsons we have a dedicated team of accountants at our offices in Sheffield, Doncaster, and Northampton. Hawsons is one of the few accountancy practices with a dedicated team of solicitor accountants specialising exclusively in the needs of solicitors and legal professionals. Our understanding of the unique issues that many in the sector are facing, combined with our technical experience, allows our solicitor specialists to provide you with proactive, commercial and informed accountancy and tax advice.

More from our legal sector experts

You can find all of our latest legal articles here.

If you are looking for advice in a particular area, please get in touch with your usual Hawsons contact.

Alternatively, we offer all new clients a free initial meeting to have a discussion about their own personal circumstances – find out more or book your free initial meeting here. We have offices in Sheffield, Doncaster and Northampton.