The Access to Justice Foundation

A charity helping to channel funds to pro bono legal work is starting a new phase of operation

The Access to Justice Foundation (AJF) is an independent charity set up to strategically collect and distribute funds to support pro bono legal work.

The first major scheme to provide funding for AJF takes effect this month, October 2008. This scheme was set up under section 194 of the Legal Services Act 2007, whereby losing parties can be ordered by Courts in England and Wales to pay a ‘pro bono costs order’ to the Access to Justice Foundation. AJF will then distribute these funds among national and regional bodies enabling pro bono legal work.

To seek a section 194 order is akin to seeking an order for costs.  The logic is similar: a winning party can be compensated for its efforts, and section 194 extends this to cases which were not previously eligible for cost recovery because they benefited from pro bono help.

For more information on the AJF and how to make section 194 work for legal aid providers, click on the two documents on the right of this page or visit the AJF website.

Published: Tue 14 Oct, 2008