ICAEW, working in partnership with the Bar Standards Board, CILEx Regulation Ltd and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, has commissioned M.E.L. Research, a specialist market, social and behavioural research and insights consultancy, to conduct research aimed at understanding the experiences of digitally excluded clients or prospective clients within the legal sector, particularly those currently underserved by the digital revolution.
According to the website, Digitally Excluded, digital exclusion means having unequal access and capacity to use digital technologies that are now considered essential to communicate and fully participate in society. If groups of people or individuals cannot have access to digital resources due to personal, economic or other reasons, digital exclusion can also mean social exclusion.
We are pleased to be collaborating with the other regulatory bodies in this research. It will help us to understand some of the challenges faced by digitally excluded individuals trying to access legal and probate services and how we can support them to overcome barriers when individuals have little or no recourse to digital devices or services.
In the probate sector, being digitally excluded could seriously limit access to resources on government sites, such as HM Courts & Tribunals Services (HMCTS), due to the increasing digitisation of the agency’s forms and information. With so many organisations and agencies relying on technology to share information, those without consistent access to digital services, or who may need additional support, can often struggle to stay informed on legal matters.
We hope that this research will provide insights that will help reduce unmet legal needs and improve access to justice so that regulators can better address inequalities caused by the digital divide. We intend to share these insights with the broader community of legal and accountancy service providers, regulatory bodies and policymakers.
Resources
- Regulatory Partners Commission Study on Digital Exclusion (M.E.L Research)
- Exploring the UK’s digital divide (ONS)
- A new approach to digital inclusion (Digitally Excluded)
- Digital exclusion in the UK: Communications and Digital Committee report (House of Lords Library)
- The Government has "no credible strategy" to tackle digital exclusion (Committees – UK Parliament)
Related information
- A review of Ofcom's research on digital exclusion among adults in the UK (Ofcom)
- Assisted digital and digitally excluded support needs (gov.uk)
- Digital exclusion and HMCTS reformed services (Legal Action Group)
- Digital justice: digital exclusion (Public Law Project)
- Preventing Digital Exclusion from Online Justice (JUSTICE)
- HMRC research report 580: Assisted digital and digitally excluded support needs
