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29 July 2010 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7428 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
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A mindless agenda?

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A recent study from the Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC) drawing on 831 interviews of people at Leicester, Hull, Gateshead, Derby and Portsmouth community legal advice centres (CLACs) makes for an interesting read

The government needs to engage with, not shun, vulnerable clients,
says Jon Robins

A recent study from the Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC) drawing on 831 interviews of people at Leicester, Hull, Gateshead, Derby and Portsmouth community legal advice centres (CLACs) makes for an interesting read. It’s a grim representation of a vulnerable sector of our society. Almost one third claimed to have a serious illness; more than four out of 10 suffered stress, depression or mental health problems; almost a third had no academic qualifications; and most had household incomes of under £15,000.

The report is one of four studies of CLACs and CLANs published recently by the LSRC. It seems a while ago that those unlovely acronyms (community legal advice centres and networks, in case you have forgotten) were seen by legal aid lawyers as the big threat to livelihoods.

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