The Transformation Of Legal Aid

Publicly funded legal aid has undergone rapid change in this century, with schemes in many western countries flourishing in the 1960s and 1970s. However, during the 1980s governments began to lose faith in publicly funded legal aid, with major funding and eligibility cuts occurring in Sweden, England and Wales, the USA, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. This book brings together contributions from the leading international scholars in the field, examining the origins of modern legal aid, its recent rapid decline and its likely future.

Publicly funded legal aid has undergone rapid change in this century. Developing from charity to large scale, publicly funded schemes, legal aid flourished in many western countries in the 1960s and 1970s. But, during the 1980s governments began to lose faith in publicly funded legal aid. In the 1990s major funding and eligibility cuts have occurred in Sweden, England and Wales, the USA, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. To answer the need for a better understanding of the extraordinary rise and fall of legal aid, this book brings together contributions from the leading international scholars in the field. Researchers from north America, Europe and Australia examine the origins of modern legal aid, analyse its recent rapid decline and consider its likely future. This collection of original studies does not, however, merely describe legal aids changing fortunes. The contributors also apply legal and social science perspectives to analyse and theorise about legal aid. In particular, rather than describe developments in individual societies, the contributors compare legal aid across societies to develop important insights including legal aids relationship with the legal profession, welfare states and legal families. This book will be embraced by all those interested in legal aid. Review: In a valuable chapter, Francis Regan ... considers why legal aid services vary between societies. ... I found this book very interesting, particularly with the coverage of legal aid systems from a wide range of nations. It should make a useful contribution to debate and policy making in this area ... Alternative Law Journal, Vol. 26, No. 2, April 2001 Helpful approaches to explaining the differences in provisions cross-nationally of legal aid. The Law and Politics Book Review