Government Social Research
Gray's Inn Road
The Legal Services Commission is an executive non-departmental public body created under the Access to Justice Act 1999. It is responsible for the development and administration of the Community Legal Service and Criminal Defence Service.
From 1 st April 2000 the Community Legal Service replaced the old civil legal aid scheme, bringing together networks of advice and legal services funders (e.g. the Commission and local authorities) and suppliers into partnerships to provide the widest possible access to information and advice about civil rights and responsibilities. From 2 nd April 2000 the Criminal Defence Service replaced the old criminal legal aid scheme and provides services to people accused of crimes.
The Legal Services Research Centre (LSRC) is the research division of the Legal Services Commission. It has a broad remit to conduct strategic research in the civil and criminal justice fields. Over recent years the LSRC has made a critical contribution to the development of the Legal Services Commission's functions, and its research lies at the heart of the development of the Community Legal Service.
The LSRC conducts quantitative and qualitative empirical research, along with theoretical analysis of the social, economic, political and philosophical underpinnings of publicly funded legal services. It regularly publishes academic papers, reports and books, and holds a biennial international research conference. It has strong links with academic and government socio-legal researchers across the world. Occasionally, the LSRC undertakes projects for other government departments or non-government bodies, and frequently works in collaboration with academic colleagues.