Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949

The Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 51) 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 1930 which introduced criminal legal aid for appearances in magistrates' courts. It received royal assent on 30 July 1949 creating one system for claiming legal aid in England and Wales. The assistance was means tested but freely available to people of "small or moderate means". The responsibility for legal aid was given to the Law Society of England and Wales. This function was later transferred to the Legal Aid Board by the Legal Aid Act 1988. The Board was replaced by Legal Services Commission through Access to Justice Act 1999.

It was described by Lord Beecham as "one of the great pillars of the post war welfare state",

This Act's scope was substantially reduced following the contested Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.