20 Years, 20 Stories: Celebrating Legal Aid

YLAL is turning 20!
To mark two decades of commitment to access to justice, we are collecting 20 powerful stories from and about people who have been directly impacted by legal aid. These stories will be an important part of our anniversary celebrations and will be shared throughout the year to spotlight the real-life impact of legal aid and the vital work of young lawyers in this field.

Why Stories?

Legal aid is about people. Behind every case is a person whose life has been changed by access to justice. From housing and immigration to family and criminal law, these stories reflect the strength, courage, and resilience of individuals, and the lawyers who fought for them.

By sharing these stories, we aim to:

  • Celebrate the positive impact legal aid has on people’s lives
  • Champion the work of young legal aid lawyers across the country
  • Raise awareness about the importance of protecting and expanding access to justice

Join the Project

We’d love to hear from you if you’ve:

  • Received legal aid in the past and would like to share how it affected your life
  • Worked as a legal aid lawyer and have a story to tell from the frontlines

We welcome submissions in any format: a few paragraphs, a poem, or even a video. We’re also working with creatives and illustrators to help bring these stories to life. If you’d like yours presented in a specific way, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

How to Contribute

Please share your story by responding to some or all of the following questions (as a guide only):

  • What type of case or legal issue did legal aid support you with?
  • What was your experience of accessing legal aid and being represented by a legal aid lawyer?
  • What difference did it make to your life?
  • Were there any barriers to accessing legal aid or finding the right lawyer?
  • Why do you think legal aid—and especially the work of young lawyers—should be celebrated?

We’ll launch the first of these stories at our 20th anniversary event on 23 May 2025. The rest will be published throughout the year across our platforms.

If you’d like to take part or have questions, please email us at ylalinfo@gmail.com