ACCESS TO JUSTICE AS A HUMAN RIGHT

Chair
Baroness Hale, Justice of the Supreme Court

Speakers
Helen Mountfield, Matrix Chambers
Roger Smith OBE, Director of JUSTICE

Venue
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Tudor Street entrance, 28 Tudor Street, London, EC4Y 0AY

Date
Wednesday 10 February 2010 at 6.00 pm

CPD accreditation
1.5

Access to justice lies at the heart of human rights protection. Without it human rights can be rendered meaningless. Human rights are only effective if they can be enforced. So access to legal advice and representation, fair trails, effective remedies and a prohibition on discrimination are essential for a fair, just and human rights-compliant society.

For the most vulnerable and marginalised in society access to justice will mean the provision of legal aid. But legal aid has never been more threatened. As fewer people have access to it, whole sections of society become unable to enforce their rights, even when this affects the most intimate aspects of their lives.

Human rights law will guarantee access to court and an enforceable right to legal aid. As legal aid slips off the political agenda, this timely and topical event will explain why legal aid is so important to human rights protection. It will also identity how human rights standards can be used to ensure effective access to court.

Helen Mountfield is a leading expert on the right to a fair trial, access to justice and human rights. Roger Smith is an international authority on legal aid.

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COST

This event is free to HRLA, YLAL and ELSA members.

Non member fee £5, which is used to organise other lectures and information events