Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949
The Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 was a British Act of Parliament which extended the welfare state so that those unable to pay for a solicitor were able to access free legal help. It set up the first ever state funded legal aid system in the UK. Its precursor was the Poor Prisoners Defence Act of 1930 which introduced criminal legal aid for appearances in magistrates’ courts. Described by Lord Beecham as "one of the great pillars of the post war welfare state", its scope was substantially reduced following the contested Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
