'Better to have a fence at the top of the cliff than a fleet of ambulances at the bottom'. Such is the call to early intervention: preventing legal problems from forming and escalating, rather than mopping up once the crisis has struck. The idea of early intervention has strong appeal: providing less intensive assistance early...

What works and at what cost? It’s a question commonly asked by funders, policy makers and practitioners, seeking to make the best use of available resources. To make informed decisions, a sensible first step is to look at what may be learned from past experience and research. However, this may not be as straightforward as...

This paper provides a framework for discussion around how Australian access to justice research, policy development and the delivery of public legal assistance services can best build upon the substantial evidence base made up of findings from ‘legal needs’ surveys undertaken in Australia and overseas.

Executive summary Public legal services for disadvantaged people in NSW have reported difficulties in recruiting and retaining solicitors in regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas. Difficulties are also reported in attracting sufficient private solicitors to undertake legal aid work.