Silhouette of mother and child. Wyncliffe/Flikr. Some rights reserved.
Earlier this year the Supreme Court agreed with the Public Law Project that government plans to introduce a ‘residence test’ for legal aid eligibility were unlawful. The residence test, if implemented, would have denied legal aid to those who came to the UK recently or who lived abroad. It would have had a catastrophic impact on access to justice and undermined the fundamental principle that all equally enjoy the protection of our laws. The Supreme Court’s decision was an important step in the fight to protect access to justice in the UK and the rights of some of the most vulnerable in our society.
I represent many families who would have been barred from receiving legal aid under the residence test. Without the ability to protect their rights, many of these families would be left homeless, unable to feed and clothe their families, and would not be able to claim the support they need to care for disabled family members. Here are the stories of two such families…
