13: Legal capability and access to civil justice
Marc Galanter (1976, p.225) argued that lack of capability of parties represents “the most fundamental barrier” to access to law and that “upgrading” party capability is key to delivering “the benefits which access to law confers upon actors.” This chapter explores the concept of legal capability, e...
Furkejuvvon:
| Váldodahkkit: | , |
|---|---|
| Materiálatiipa: | Online |
| Giella: | eaŋgalasgiella |
| Almmustuhtton: |
Edward Elgar Publishing
2026
|
| Fáttát: | |
| Liŋkkat: | https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/176469 |
| Fáddágilkorat: |
Eai fáddágilkorat, Lasit vuosttaš fáddágilkora!
|
| _version_ | 1869526889470623744 |
|---|---|
| author | Pleasence, Pascoe Balmer, Nigel |
| author_browse | Balmer, Nigel Pleasence, Pascoe |
| author_facet | Pleasence, Pascoe Balmer, Nigel |
| author_sort | Pleasence, Pascoe |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | Marc Galanter (1976, p.225) argued that lack of capability of parties represents “the most fundamental barrier” to access to law and that “upgrading” party capability is key to delivering “the benefits which access to law confers upon actors.” This chapter explores the concept of legal capability, explains how it links to Amartya Sen's (1999) ”capability approach” and sets out the key knowledge, skills and attributes “required for an individual to have an effective opportunity to make a decision about whether and how to make use of the justice system” (Pleasence et al. 2014, pp.123–4). This chapter also provides an overview of empirical findings showing how different dimensions of legal capability bear on people's ability to successfully navigate around and through the civil justiciable issues they may face. These findings include those of the Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS), a large-scale survey of legal capability conducted in Victoria, Australia, across 2022–23. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-176469 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing |
| publisherStr | Edward Elgar Publishing |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-1764692026-05-15T11:46:42Z 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice Pleasence, Pascoe Balmer, Nigel Legal Capability; Comparative; Juridification; Justiciable Problems; Legal Need; Inequality LAFD LNV LNAC LAQ Marc Galanter (1976, p.225) argued that lack of capability of parties represents “the most fundamental barrier” to access to law and that “upgrading” party capability is key to delivering “the benefits which access to law confers upon actors.” This chapter explores the concept of legal capability, explains how it links to Amartya Sen's (1999) ”capability approach” and sets out the key knowledge, skills and attributes “required for an individual to have an effective opportunity to make a decision about whether and how to make use of the justice system” (Pleasence et al. 2014, pp.123–4). This chapter also provides an overview of empirical findings showing how different dimensions of legal capability bear on people's ability to successfully navigate around and through the civil justiciable issues they may face. These findings include those of the Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS), a large-scale survey of legal capability conducted in Victoria, Australia, across 2022–23. Published 2026-05-15T11:46:40Z 2026-05-15T11:46:40Z 2025-12-25 chapter 9781035314584 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/176469 eng image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/research-handbook-on-civil-justice-9781035314577.html https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap-oa/book/9781035314584/chapter13.xml Edward Elgar Publishing Edward Elgar Publishing 10.4337/9781035314584.00026 10.4337/9781035314584.00026 01ceac28-75b4-492a-8eec-f9b98bc6b28c https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 9781035314584 Edward Elgar Publishing Cheltenham, UK open access |
| spellingShingle | Legal Capability; Comparative; Juridification; Justiciable Problems; Legal Need; Inequality LAFD LNV LNAC LAQ Pleasence, Pascoe Balmer, Nigel 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title | 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title_full | 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title_fullStr | 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title_full_unstemmed | 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title_short | 13: Legal capability and access to civil justice |
| title_sort | 13 legal capability and access to civil justice |
| topic | Legal Capability; Comparative; Juridification; Justiciable Problems; Legal Need; Inequality LAFD LNV LNAC LAQ |
| topic_facet | Legal Capability; Comparative; Juridification; Justiciable Problems; Legal Need; Inequality LAFD LNV LNAC LAQ |
| url | https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/176469 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pleasencepascoe 13legalcapabilityandaccesstociviljustice AT balmernigel 13legalcapabilityandaccesstociviljustice |