https://www.slab.org.uk/corporate-information/publications/research-publications/
https://www.slab.org.uk/corporate-information/publications/research-publications/
Our research unit collects views and experiences from people about legal aid and the work of the organisation.
We carry out research with people who apply or might apply for legal assistance and with professionals who are involved or have an interest in the provision of legal aid.
We also review existing evidence on legal aid and justice issues in Scotland and in other countries.
Annual research programme: Set each year this outlines our intended work. Details of larger projects are given in the website’s news section as they happen.
Research methods: These vary, ranging from a few days reviewing literature to face to face interviewing and large scale surveys. We also commission research where necessary.
Publications: The outputs from our work can also vary greatly. They include traditional reports and papers or they may be simply a recommendation or table of figures.
For more information on our research or to discuss any of our current or planned projects please contact us.
SLAB’s research team sometimes undertakes online surveys of organisations or individuals. We use the online platform ‘SurveyMonkey’ to do this.
Data privacy is something we take very seriously. The reasons we chose SurveyMonkey included their approach to data security. Our Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with SurveyMonkey specifies the use of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF) and the UK Extension to the EU-U.S. DPF. This means that the collection, use, transfer, and retention of personal data complies with UK GDPR*.
SLAB’s researchers only ask for information that is useful to the research we are doing. SurveyMonkey helps us do this by allowing us some control over what information we collect. For example, keeping responses anonymous by not linking contact lists with individual responses.
Most of the surveys we use SurveyMonkey for are anonymous. If we ask someone to take part in a survey, we will tell them what information we are collecting and how we will use it.
We almost always contract out larger surveys of named individuals, such as our applicant surveys. We perform due diligence on the contractors we use to ensure that they comply with UK GDPR.
If you want more information on SurveyMonkey and data privacy, visit their website: https://help.surveymonkey.com/categories/Privacy_Legal.
* UK GDPR is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in the United Kingdom (UK).
We commissioned Progressive Partnership to undertake research to find out more about the experience of adults who have used legal assistance to have a solicitor with them at a Children’s Panel Hearing, as well as insights from solicitors who carry out the work, with the detailed reports available below.
| File | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Overview | DOCX | 117 KB |
| 2. Child Clients | DOCX | 227 KB |
| 3. Children's Panel Hearings | DOCX | 68 KB |
| 4. Client communications & promotion | DOCX | 166 KB |
| 5. Views on SLAB Services | DOCX | 228 KB |
| 6. Activities & Challenges | DOCX | 507 KB |
| 7. Virtual Hearings | DOCX | 107 KB |
| 8. Cases under ACRA | DOCX | 151 KB |
| Adult users of legal assistance for Children's Panels (Easy Read) | DOCX | 870 KB |
| Adult users of legal assistance for Children's Panels | DOCX | 978 KB |
| File | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 Briefing: Research on use of interim fees during Covid-19 restrictions | 304 KB | |
| 2021 Survey of private practice legal aid clients | 498 KB | |
| 2021 Survey of PDSO clients | 576 KB | |
| 2021-22 Report: Civil private practice client survey | 811 KB | |
| 2021 Survey of CLAO clients and contacts | 530 KB | |
| December 2022: Access to legal aid during the pandemic | 469 KB | |
| May 2023: Interim research summary - Children’s legal assistance | 125 KB | |
| November 2024: Immigration & Asylum in the UK - A Literature Review | 319 KB |
| File | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Solicitor Contact Line (SCL) Client Survey - Research Briefing 2016 | DOCX | 317 KB |
| Making Advice Work - Evaluation Report 2017 | 1 MB | |
| Criminal Solicitor Survey - Findings Report 2017 | 468 KB | |
| Child Contact Dispute - Findings Report 2019 | 1 MB | |
| SLAB Equalities Outcomes Report - November 2019 | DOCX | 1 MB |
| Rural access to legal services Literature Review 2020 | 1 MB | |
| SLAB civil solicitors survey report 2020 | 1 MB |