Legal system won’t cope with demand for legal services post covid-19
updated on 23 July 2020
The lack of access to many key legal services during the coronavirus pandemic has created a build-up of demand that the legal sector is poorly equipped to handle, leading legal figures have warned.
Law Society President Simon Davis told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Legal and Constitutional Affairs that the easing of lockdown restrictions and reopening of the economy will unleash a “massive increase” in demand for legal services. As Legal Futures reports, Davis pointed to the backlog of housing possession cases that has built up since they were stayed to prevent the courts from collapsing during the pandemic, as well as the public’s reluctance to travel to solicitors’ offices, especially if using public transport.
Amanda Pinto QC, chair of the Bar Council, added: “There is a real concern that because of the decimation of work for the profession at the moment and the lack of support from government, there will be a real reduction in the availability of legal services. It’s a really worrying picture for the future.”
The move to remote hearings was highlighted as a positive move during the pandemic, but Davis and Pinto both warned that remote justice will not be appropriate for all types of hearing or all users of the justice system.
The two lawyers called on the government to change its approach and invest in the justice system to enable people to exercise their rights.
