News that thousands more people across Sussex can claim free or inexpensive legal services has been welcomed by the Sussex Law Society.
The Lord Chancellor has ruled that, from this week, people earning up to £24,000 could be eligible for publicly-funded civil and family legal advice and representation.
Across the UK, about five million more people could benefit from the ruling.
On behalf of the Sussex Law Society, which represents solicitors in Brighton and Hove, Lewes, Crawley and Mid Sussex, Brighton solicitor Julian Hunt said: "This is the first piece of good news on the legal aid front for months, if not years.
"Constant cuts in funding had resulted in state-funded legal services being available only to those on the very lowest incomes.
"In effect, you had to be receiving benefits to qualify."
However, Mr Hunt said the good news was tempered by the fact many law firms were no longer undertaking publicly-funded legal work as a direct result of past cuts in the service and the low level of remuneration for the work.
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