The Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS) Volume 3: A New Perspective on Legal Need and Legal Capability

Summary

This third volume of our PULS reporting builds on the accounts of problem experience and legal capability set out in the first two volumes. It presents the findings of new analyses of the relationships between both legal capability and demographics and:

• justiciable problem-solving behaviour
• whether people obtain the legal assistance they need
• legal need and unmet legal need
• satisfaction with the progress/outcome of efforts to resolve justiciable problems.

Legal capability is the knowledge, skills and attributes required to decide whether and how to use the law and legal processes. This report offers a unique analysis of the complex interplay between legal capability, legal problems, demographics and legal need. The investigation provides important new evidence of how legal capability affects justiciable problem resolution and the difference legal and other advice services can make.

The relationships between legal capability, justiciable problem-solving behaviour and experience set out in this report provides a rich resource of evidence for policy and practice. This includes understanding the disadvantages that follow from disparities in levels of relevant capabilities and the detriment this may entail.  

The volume explores how people’s skills in managing a legal problem, experience of the system, and what attitudes they have about the law can affect behaviour and outcomes, including how satisfied people are with the progress and resolution of the legal matters they face. The findings clearly demonstrate that legal capability matters.

This report yields further insights to suggest new directions for reform and enable public legal assistance services to best meet people’s needs.