• The Hidden World of the Legal Aid Lawyer
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The Hidden World of the Legal Aid Lawyer

$119.95
$119.95 $119.95
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Since the 2012 LASPO cuts, legal aid provision in England and Wales has faced severe challenges, threatening both client access to justice and traditional practices. This book offers an in-depth e...
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  • 17 June 2025
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Since the 2012 LASPO cuts, legal aid provision in England and Wales has faced severe challenges, threatening both client access to justice and traditional practices.

This book offers an in-depth ethnographic study of how these cuts have transformed the professional identity of legal aid lawyers amid shrinking resources. By documenting the first-hand experiences of those on the front line, it reveals how these professionals navigate the precarious landscape while maintaining their commitment to justice.

This is a unique and insightful look into the evolving role of legal aid lawyers in a diminishing industry across both civil and criminal remits.

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Price: $119.95
Pages: 202
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Series: Perspectives on Law and Access to Justice
Publication Date: 17 June 2025
ISBN: 9781529232929
Format: Hardcover
BISACs: LAW / Legal Services, Legal systems: costs and funding, LAW / Civil Procedure, LAW / Criminal Procedure, LAW / General Practice, LAW / Legal Profession, Law and society, sociology of law, Social security and welfare law
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“This is a fascinating exploration of the day-to-day work of legal aid lawyers, perfectly illustrating many of the policy problems which damage access to justice and legal advice.” Jo Wilding, University of Sussex
Emma Cooke is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Kent. Her research interests are inter-disciplinary spanning criminal justice, socio-legal and occupational sociology remits.

Prologue: A Modern Day ‘Legal Aid Lawyers’ Story

1. Introduction

2. Research Context: Legal Aid Provision Over Time

3. The Participants: How, Who, and Why?

4. Moving Beyond ‘Occupational Culture’: Introducing the Concept of the ‘Shared Orientation’ Model

5. Navigating Entry to, and Barriers Within the Legal Profession: Exploring Institutional and Structural Deficiencies Within the Legal Aid Field

6. The ‘Precarious’ Legal Aid Lawyer: Consequences that Reductions in Funding and Services Have Had on the Legal Aid Lawyers Lived Experience

7. One-Stop-Shop: ‘It’s Not Just About Being Someone’s Lawyer’

8. Concluding Remarks: Revisiting the ‘Shared Orientation’ Model