How to do justice: Study shows success of community-led legal services

The research, led by Nottingham Law School, part of Nottingham Trent University, evaluated Bagaraybang bagaraybang mayinygalang (BBM), an Australian project aimed at offering legal support to the local Aboriginal community through a partnership between the Hume Riverina Community Legal Service (HRCLS) & Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service (AWAHS).

BBM places lawyers inside a community health service to support people dealing with mental health problems, trauma and everyday legal issues. The model brings together health workers, community staff and lawyers to tackle problems before they escalate.

By the final year of the study, 90% of participants reported improvements in their wellbeing after receiving legal support from the health justice partnership, with reductions in stress and anxiety and increased confidence and engagement - all reported a stronger sense of hope.

Involving 104 participants in total from 2023-2025, the research used interviews, group discussions and ongoing observation to understand how people experience legal problems in real life.

Many shared first‑hand experiences of dealing with everyday issues such as debt, housing or family problems that were closely linked to stress, poor mental health and past negative experiences with the justice system.

By listening to people’s stories over time, the study focused not just on outcomes, but on how trust, relationships and feeling heard can shape whether people seek help at all, and whether legal support makes a meaningful difference to their lives.

The final report showed that access to legal support increased sharply among people who had previously avoided the justice system. Many participants said they would not have approached a lawyer at all before the service was embedded in a trusted community setting.

Trust was a key factor, with people far more likely to seek help, explain their problems fully and act when legal advice was offered by familiar faces in safe, non‑judgemental spaces. This led to real improvements in people’s daily lives, including lower stress and anxiety, better financial stability, more secure housing and a greater sense of hope.

Researcher and report author, Associate Professor Liz Curran, Nottingham Law School, said: “These findings challenge traditional ideas about legal aid. Simply offering advice is not enough. Support must be visible, approachable and joined up with other services such as healthcare, mental health and social support.

“Many legal problems, such as debt, housing disputes or benefits issues, are closely linked to poor health. Addressing them early can prevent crises that cost people, and the public purse, far more in the long run.”

Although the study focused on an Australian community, it draws clear lessons that are relevant to UK debates about access to justice, legal aid, and people‑centred services.

The report warns that an overreliance on digital or remote services risks excluding those with the greatest need and that clearer information or one-off appointments alone are insufficient. Instead, access to justice improves with early intervention, building trusted relationships and long‑term investment in people‑centred services.

Dr Curran added: “This people‑centred approach could help reach those most likely to be excluded from the justice system in the UK, including people with mental health challenges, those experiencing poverty, and communities with long‑standing mistrust of public institutions.

“Quick, efficiency‑focused reforms will not close the justice gap. When legal services meet people where they are, justice becomes more accessible, more effective and more humane.”

Craig Taylor, chair of AWAHS, said: “When legal support is embedded within a culturally safe health setting, and when lawyers and health workers operate side-by-side, the outcomes are significant. Stress eases. Confidence grows. People feel safe to speak up. Families stabilise. Hope returns.

“The BBM partnership shows that addressing legal issues is not separate from health - it is part of healing. It tackles the structural drivers that sit beneath mental distress, debt, housing instability and family violence.

“I urge governments, funders and system leaders to take this report seriously. The evidence is clear: community-designed, culturally anchored partnerships work. They close gaps, create capability, and deliver real justice and wellbeing outcomes for our people.”

The report calls for long‑term funding and policy support for joined‑up legal and health services, rather than short‑term pilots. It also recommends recognising that the full range of work lawyers do in these settings, including informal advice and collaboration with other professionals, is essential to improving outcomes.

Read the full report