| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make legal aid and advice in England and Wales, and in the case of members of the forces legal advice elsewhere, more readily available for persons of small or moderate means, to enable the cost of legal aid or advice for such persons to be defrayed wholly or partly out of moneys provided by Parliament, and for purposes connected therewith. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 51 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 30 July 1949 |
TheLegal Aid and Advice Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 51) was a Britishact of Parliament which extended the welfare state so that those unable to pay for a solicitor were able to access free legal help.[1] It set up the first ever state funded legal aid system in the UK. Its precursor was thePoor Prisoners' Defence Act 1930 which introduced criminal legal aid for appearances in magistrates' courts.[2] It received royal assent on 30 July 1949 creating one system for claiminglegal aid in England and Wales. The assistance was means tested but freely available to people of "small or moderate means". The responsibility for legal aid was given to theLaw Society of England and Wales.[3] This function was later transferred to the Legal Aid Board by the Legal Aid Act 1988. The Board was replaced byLegal Services Commission throughAccess to Justice Act 1999.
It was described byLord Beecham as "one of the great pillars of the post war welfare state",[4]
This act's scope was substantially reduced following the contestedLegal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
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