Legal Services Commission
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The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is an executive non-departmental public body that is responsible for the operational administration of legal aid in England and Wales. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and its work is overseen by an independent board of commissioners.
[edit] Overview
The LSC was established under the Access to Justice Act 1999 and replaced the Legal Aid Board in 2000.
The LSC is responsible for the development and administration of two schemes:
- The Community Legal Service (CLS)
- The Criminal Defence Service (CDS)
The CLS aims to improve access to quality information and help for civil legal problems, such as family, debt and housing. Free legal advice is available to people who cannot afford to pay for legal help. This is supplied through solicitors’ and advice agencies that are quality assured through the LSC’s Quality Mark scheme.
The CDS provides free legal advice and representation for people facing criminal charges who are unable to pay for legal help. This is supplied through criminal solicitors’ offices and the Public Defender Service.
The LSC purchases around £2 billion of legal services annually for its clients. These services provide legal advice, assistance and representation to over 2 million people each year. The organisation helps protect the fundamental rights of the individual and addresses problems that contribute to social exclusion.
The LSC provides direct services to the public via its Community Legal Advice website[1] and helpline. People can visit the site or call the helpline for free legal advice.
The Chair of the Legal Services Commission is Sir Michael Bichard.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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