Who Should Pay for Access to Justice?

Since the introduction of fees to employment tribunals, the Justice Committee has highlighted that there has been a 70% drop in the number of cases brought and expressed its concern that the government’s actions have had a detrimental effect on access to justice. And yet, the Justice Committee has no objection to the principle of charging fees to court users, and even expressed the view that a degree of financial risk is an important discipline to those considering legal action, as long as access to justice is preserved.

Should access to justice be free at the point of delivery? Or should it be viewed as any service?

The Sussex Salon series returns with more roundtable debates on today’s most thought-provoking social and political questions with an expert panel from the University of Sussex’s School of Law, Politics and Sociology, including Dr Amir Paz-Fuchs, Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of Sussex Clinical Legal Education and Dr Lucy Welsh, Solicitor and Lecturer in Law, and further afield, including Lyzette Hanna, Advice Session Supervisor, Central and South Sussex Citizens Advice, Professor John Dearlove, (chair) and Dr Maria Moscati, Lecturer in Family Law.