CurrentResearchonadministrativejusticeUKAdministrativeJusticeInstitute(UKAJI)

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LitigantsinPersoninBirminghamCivilJusticeCentre:AccesstoLegalInformationandAdviceResearchernameandinstitution:

ProfRobertLee,BirminghamLawSchoolDrTatianaTkacukova,SchoolofEnglish,BirminghamCityUniversity

Fundingmode/funder: SupportedbyCentreforProfessionalLegalEducationandResearch,UniversityofBirmingham

StartandEnddate: January2016–November2016

1. Briefsummaryofwhattheresearchisabout.

Followingthewithdrawaloflegalaidinareassuchasfamilylawdisputes,thenumbersoflitigantsrepresentingthemselves(litigantsinperson,hereafterLiPs)hassignificantlyincreased.ThishasbeenacauseofconcerntoBirminghamCivilJusticeCentreandLawSociety.Withtheirco-operation,amixedmethodsstudyisbeingundertakentoexploretheexperienceofLiPs,bothpriortolitigationandatthehearingstage,andinparticularthedifficultiestheyencounterwithlegaldiscourse.Themethodsemployedcomprisequestionnaires,interviewsandobservations.Thequestionnaireincludesquestionsdesignedtoelicitthebio-demographicdetailsofthelitigantinperson,typeofcourtcasetheyareinvolvedin,theirinformation-seekingstrategiesandcourtexperience.

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CurrentResearchonadministrativejusticeUKAdministrativeJusticeInstitute(UKAJI)

2. Whataretheresearchquestions?

1. Toassesstheapproximatenumbers,demographicprofileandfinancialstatusoflitigantsinpersoninfourareasofciviljusticenamelyFamilyLaw,Housing,debtandsmallclaimsintheaverageweek,inBirminghamCivilJusticeCentre;

2. Toinvestigatethebroadnatureoftheircourtapplication;3. Toelicitthereasonsforselfrepresentation;4. Toevaluateadviceandinformation-seekingstrategies5. ToexploretheLiPs’experienceofdealingwiththeircases,bothpriortoandduringthecourt

hearing6. Toinvestigatelegal-layinteractions

3. What,ifany,outputssofar?

Papers:Socio-LegalStudiesAssociation,2016,UniversityofLancaster:‘ LitigantsinPersonintheCivilJusticeCentre:AccesstoLegalInformationandAdvice’(T.Tkacukova;H.Sommerlad;R.Lee)Socio-LegalStudiesAssociation,2017,UniversityofNewcastle:‘ LitigantsinPersonintheCivilJusticeCentre:AccesstoLegalInformationandAdvice’(R.Lee;T.Tkacukova)–seepresentationhere

4. Whatoutputsareplanned? ArticlesinJournalofLawandSocietyandInternationalJournalofLegalProfession5. Whatistheanticipatedimpact?

AlthoughresearchhasbeenconductedintoLiPs(e.g.Trinder,L;Hunter,R;Hitchings,E;Miles,J;Moorhead,R;Smith,L;Sefton,M;Hinchly,V;Bader,KandPearce,J,Litigantsinpersoninprivatefamilylaw(MinistryofJusticeAnalyticalSeries)November2014)thereisstillaneedformoreinformationontheimpactofselfrepresentationbothonthecourtsandalsoontheindividualLiP,andinparticularonthespecificdifficultieswhichlegallanguageandproceduresposeforthelayperson.Thisstudywillgosomewaytofillingthisknowledgegap.

6. Comments/additionalinformation/requestsfordataorinputfromthebroaderadministrativejusticecommunity