An effective, fair, and accessible justice system is fundamental to social and economic well-being.
Complementing our wider work on justice, our Public right to justice programme underlines that while the public have the notional right to such a system this is often compromised in practice. The programme examines the challenges and explores possible solutions.
Building on our longstanding interest in justice as a cornerstone of a well-functioning society, the programme examines whether the system in England and Wales is working as it should for everyone who needs it.
While centred on the needs of individuals and communities, particularly those facing disadvantage, it also examines how resources and institutional structures influence overall system performance and accessibility. Our work centres on the civil, family and tribunal systems, exploring what modern society requires of a justice system.
Throughout 2026, the Foundation is publishing evidence reviews of how the justice system is governed and funded, and how it can be improved. Our aim is to establish a robust case for how proposals for reform might best be developed. The first of these reviews provides a comprehensive diagnosis of civil justice reform reviews in England and Wales over the last 40 years.
Through our grants and other commissioned work, we are particularly focusing on the following:
- Whether and how people’s legal needs are being met
- People’s experiences of interacting with the justice system, and how these can be improved
- Reforms that could make the system more user-centred, transparent, and responsive
- How system governance and resourcing might be improved
This is a cross-Nuffield project, with close involvement from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and the Ada Lovelace Institute.
The Foundation hosted a roundtable with experts from legal practice, academia, policy and civil society to discuss the issues affecting civil justice in England and Wales, and what needs to change to make it more effective.
Note: In October 2026, the Nuffield Foundation will focus its Justice programme funding on projects aligned with our Public right to Justice initiative. This means we will be prioritising outline applications that address challenges in the civil, family and tribunal systems in England and Wales, aiming to improve how people resolve everyday legal problems. Find out more in our guide for applicants.
