According to a report tabled in Parliament, the Legal Aid Commission faces significant operational challenges that affect their ability to serve the public effectively.


The consolidated review of the Commission’s annual reports for the period 2018-2023 by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense highlights the main areas of concern.


The report states that the Commission’s lawyers have been handling an average of 121 cases since October this year.


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The report points to severe staff shortages in all LAC offices, contributing to this excessive workload.


The committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance increase the Commission’s budget to facilitate the recruitment of more lawyers.


In addition to staffing problems, the Commission also faces a lack of funding for awareness raising, especially in remote and maritime areas.


The Committee emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the Commission has the necessary financial support to expand its reach and services to these underserved areas.


The report further highlights issues related to staff retention, with the Commission experiencing high staff turnover.


It is stated that a contributing factor to this is the significant pay gap between lawyers at the Legal Aid Commission and those working at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption.


The Committee recommends addressing this pay gap to improve employee retention and reduce employee turnover.


Another major issue raised is the lack of proper training and professional development opportunities for LAC lawyers.


The Commission’s lawyers are often excluded from critical training on topics such as cybercrime, child representation and white-collar crime.


The Committee calls for equal access to training opportunities to ensure that Commission lawyers remain abreast of current legal developments.


Language barriers also pose a challenge, as many non-English speaking clients require assistance.


However, the Commission currently does not have the resources to provide interpreters or sign language interpreters.


The Committee recommends that the Commission be given the necessary resources to tackle this problem.


In addition, the Commission does not have a dedicated toll-free line operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which the Commission considers an essential service to the public.


The Committee calls for such a service to be established.



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