Lived experience of the law: A research and policy project

In partnership with the national charity Revolving Doors, ICPR is conducting research on the understandings, expectations, and experiences of ‘participation’ and ‘access to justice’ on the part of members of the public who find themselves caught up in judicial proceedings.

The study addresses the following questions:

• How are perceptions and expectations of legal rights, justice and the judicial process shaped by individuals’ formal and informal encounters with the law over time?
• How can the concepts of ‘effective participation’ and ‘access to justice’ most usefully be defined from a lived experience perspective, and what are the main barriers to participation and access?
• What reforms – in terms of policy, practice, and public legal education – are needed to address existing barriers to participation and access, and how can the implementation of these reforms best be supported?

The research started in January 2023 and will be completed in December 2025.

You can read our first briefing based on in-depth interviews with parents involved in public Law care proceedings:

Lived Experience of the Law pilot phase briefing: Experiences of public law care proceedings - Revolving Doors (revolving-doors.org.uk)

Information about the study can be found here.

If you want to participate in our study, click here.