This report summarises the responses and input received by the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW during the consultation process conducted as part of Stage 1 of the Access to Justice and Legal Needs Project.

During the consultation process, the Foundation received submissions from 28 organisations and four individuals. In addition to these written and oral submissions, the Foundation received a range of other material including copies of articles written for journals, submissions to similar previous inquiries and published reports. These were either expressly referred to in submissions or in consultations, or supplied to the Foundation as a submission on behalf of an organisation. The Foundation conducted seven roundtable forums for legal and community organisations and a number of consultations with selected individuals.

The Foundation held a one-day Access to Justice workshop attended by 44 invited participants from various socially and economically disadvantaged groups, community organisations, legal service providers, professional bodies, legal and social researchers, administrators and policy makers. Staff of the Foundation also attended and participated in eight conferences or forums relating to Access to Justice and Legal Needs.

The Foundation has aimed to record as fully as possible the substance of the responses received in this consultation stage. Consequently, although not strictly part of the brief for Stage 1, for completeness the report includes some recommendations proffered by participants in the consultation process, as well as areas identified by participants in need of further in depth research and analysis. It should be noted that the Foundation has not undertaken any evaluation of the accuracy of the responses received