Policy

It is often assumed that later life is a time when there are fewer needs for legal advice and redress because people have completed certain key life stages. However‚ there is limited evidence about whether this assumption holds true.  

In September 2006‚ we commissioned the Legal Services Research Centre to undertake a secondary analysis of their Civil and Social Justice Survey (CSJS)‚ based on civil law problems reported by the survey sample in a three and a half year period between January 2001 and July 2004.

The purpose of the secondary analysis was to explore in more detail the experiences of civil justice problems in older people aged 50 and over and their responses to them. The analysis also further explored the experiences and behaviour of isolated older people.

 The results represent the first quantitative findings specifically exploring the legal needs of older people in England and Wales. They offer useful insights into the problems experienced by older people and their advice-seeking behaviour‚ as well as suggesting areas for further research.

They have been used to inform our policy objectives on access to justice and redress for older people‚ which are listed at the end of this report.

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Email: Policy