1. An Introduction to the Litigant in Person Support Strategy

2. Background Developed with Ministry of Justice
Funding started Autumn 2014
First fully funded year – April 2015 – March 2016
Developed with MOJ and no. of legal charities
Several orgs already funded by MoJ
Keen to see advice sector take responsibility to allocate funding between them = one relationship for MoJ with the Support Strategy

3. What is it?
The overall aim is to provide better support to help Litigants in Person manage their way through the legal system.
1. Know what support is available to them
2. Access appropriate practical support and information
3. Have a route to some free or affordable legal advice
A Strategy which puts supporting the LIP through the legal system, at its heart.
The vision is supported by three long term objectives enabling LIPs to:
Know what support is available to them
Access appropriate practical support and information
Have a route to some free or affordable legal advice

4. Who is involved? Four organisations deliver key parts of the Strategy
Two organisations play a significant strategic role
Four organisations funded to extend their existing services for LiPs.
A committee of 6 Partner CEOs meet fortnightly, supported by a project management team.
Premise – through collaboration, shared and creative thinking, the Partners are stronger and more effective in meeting the needs of LiPs.
While it is led by the six orgs above, it is very much a wider collaboration involving
Advice sector
Pro bono sector
Three strands of the profession
Law schools
Ministry of Justice
HMCTS

5. 1. Knowing what support is available
One central website created for LIPs
Campaign raising awareness of help available for LIPs
We want to ensure that:
LIPS know how to access the best sources of advice and information
LIPS are able to access advice and information as early as possible, to make informed choices
What we’re doing
Establishing a dedicated portal for LIPs to access Advicenow (over one million visits/year)
Developing and implementing a LIPs communication strategy
Communications campaign
Round 1 – Courts, MPs, advice sector
Round 2 – supermarkets, GP surgeries etc.

6. 2. Accessing practical support and information
Advicenow resources – guides, films, e-learning
New PSU centres providing emotional and practical support
CourtNav providing online support with court forms
Increased access to Going to Court Guides
Supported Child Contact Centre
We want to ensure that
LIPSs have the skills and information to manage their way through the legal process
More court forms are available on line and with support for users
More LIPs have access to support in court
Potential LIPs can resolve their legal problems without going to court
What we’re doing
Developing Advicenow website resources
E-learning modules –interactive education on legal matters. E.g. ‘How to avoid or deal with benefit sanctions’
Films - many LiPs struggle with text based info and fearful of court settings / how to conduct themselves.
‘How to represent yourself in family court
‘How to fill in your financial statement (Form E)’ shows step-by-step how to complete complicated form by watching the presenter complete hers.
2. Increasing access to the Going to Court guides
1st part covers what is involved, the steps LiPs have to take and consider if they can solve prob another way without having to go to court.
If LiPs do take case to court / are taken to court, 2nd part provides templates and guidance about the docs LiPs need to start their claim and explain hearings, the trial and appeals
3. Establishing 4 new PSU units / year
17 nationwide – since funding, opened in Sheffield, Nottingham, Preston, Chelmsford and Exeter.
Provides trained vols to give free, independent help – vols work with clients to establish for themselves what might be the best next step, and help them to access legal advice from other orgs or guidance online where appropriate.
4. Extending CourtNav to all CABs nationwide
Developed RCJ Advice & Freshfields - online tool to help LIPs
Asks LiP series of questions and their answers complete the relevant court forms.
Help text on each page and online support of a lawyer throughout the process.
Only once solicitor has checked that all info correct, is it authorised to print and lodge with court.
Divorce module pilot – none returned compared to 40% = less time consuming for user and RCJ Advice has also reduced the time spent by a solicitor to ‘sign off’ form contents.
Expanded to include forms below (all identified by judges and court staff as the one LiPs regularly use)
5. Family Solutions Court – launched July a range services for LIPs from one floor of the Central London Family Court
Advice from RCJ Advice family legal team.
PSU- providing practical and emotional support
Access to mediation, representation, separated parents information programmes and
Time Together – 1st ever child contact centre within a court delivered by RCJ Advice- provide a safe comfortable place for children to spend time with non-resident parent and/or broader family. Referrals are made via judges. Vast majority parents using it are LIPs.

7. 3. Route to free/affordable legal advice
New LawWorks Clinics providing free legal advice
Developing secondary specialisation amongst law firms
Recruiting more lawyers to do pro bono
Establishing duty schemes
Encouraging unbundled legal services
What we’re doing
10 new Clinics each year supported by secondary specialisation
Establishing more duty schemes
Clinics provide free initial advice to individuals. The Network has grown to 249 legal advice clinics, with ten added since April 2015 including in London, Newcastle, Aberystwyth, Cardiff and Chester-le-Street (County Durham).
Duty schemes are for LIPs unable to secure representation. Exact remit of the schemes differs, but each aims to provide free advice and/or limited representation to LIPs and to assist in the smooth-running of the court process.
CLIPS
Central Family Court (all of which administered by RCJ Advice)
ELA - emp’t tribunals.
From March new scheme for oral applications in the Court of Appeal.  

8. Cross-cutting actions
Engaging with LIP stakeholders
Identifying gaps in support for LIPs and taking action accordingly
Supporting other organisations to respond to the needs of LIPs
Leveraging further funding to help support LIPs
Understanding the expressed needs of LIPs in order to inform the Support Strategy
Five “cross-cutting” actions
Engaging with LIP stakeholders
SS now has a website, - introducing and explaining the work of SS
SS represented - LJ Briggs advice sector roundtable (part of review Civil Courts), CJC Forum Plenary Panel, annual conference Designated Civil Judges
Series of regional visits -Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, York, Norfolk and Bristol, to find out what they see as their main challenges in supporting LIPs and to share best practice. The learning will be shared with other areas across the country.
Identifying gaps in support for LIPs and taking action accordingly
Following up regional visit findings
Exploring the development of new materials to help LIPs better understand the potential risk of costs.
Working with the Joint Forum on Access to Justice in Merseyside on their work in identifying the gaps in local advice provision and trying to then identify solutions.
Supporting other orgs to respond to the needs of LIPs
Distribution of Going to Court Guides for use by advice agency staff and their clients.
Sharing resources and new interesting models
Family masterclasses with the judiciary in Bristol
Groups with local authority engagement – Liverpool Advice Forum
Young Person’s Passport
Direct Access Portal - search by postcode, area of law, hearing date. Over 3000 barristers - practising certificate, completed approved training, insurance.
Pro bono passport – piloting, method of time and costs recording for indivs as well as free legal advice providers.
Brokering new relationships
Leveraging further funding to help support LIPs
Supporting LIPs = a key criteria selected by the Access to Justice Foundation in latest grant making round.
Understanding the expressed needs of LIPs in order to inform the Support Strategy
The PSU regularly conducts a survey of those accessing their services.
Working with Help4LIPs, an organisation which was set up by two LIPs.