Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
The Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) identified a pressing need to better understand the experiences of legal services consumers from ethnic minority backgrounds. This need emerged from their ongoing quantitative tracking research, which revealed significant disparities in consumer confidence and trust among ethnic minority groups compared to the general population.
In a recent segmentation study based on tracking data, the ‘Confident Consumers’ segment—those who felt assured about their choices and confident that their providers would deliver a good service—was found to include significantly fewer consumers from Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds (12% vs. 21% of the overall sample). This disparity underscored the need for deeper exploration of the barriers faced by these groups. The LSCP has previously published specific reports and infographics highlighting the challenges faced by ethnic minority consumers in legal services, further illustrating the problem.
Despite ethnic minority consumers shopping around more than their White British counterparts, they were less likely to report having a good experience with the service or outcome and were less likely to trust legal service providers. This situation highlights an unmet need for the industry to address inequalities and improve experiences for these groups.
The focus of this project was to move beyond data collection and instead bring the voices of consumers to life through stories and illustrations of real experiences. Specifically, the project aimed to:
The research employed a week-long, in-depth study with 13 participants who identified as being from an ethnic minority background and who had engaged a legal services provider within the last two years.
To capture the complexity and nuance of their experiences, we adopted a mix of methodologies:
The online community approach provided a unique combination of individual, private discussions and collective group interactions. One-on-one engagement created a safe space for participants to share sensitive information about their personal cases. At the same time, group discussions enabled participants to explore broader themes and propose solutions to some of the shared challenges.
The findings were synthesised into an insight-driven report that combined thematic analysis with detailed case studies. Each key theme was illustrated with real-world examples from participants, giving stakeholders a clear and compelling picture of the issues faced by ethnic minority consumers. The themes covered barriers to trust, experiences of discrimination, and the emotional toll of engaging with legal services.
In addition, we worked closely with the LSCP to produce a 3-minute video report. The video integrated anonymised audio excerpts directly from participant accounts, preserving authenticity while protecting their identities. This video was presented as the introduction to a session at the Legal Services Board’s Reshaping Legal Services conference in October 2022, providing an impactful, human-centred narrative to frame the discussion.
The project delivered actionable insights that can help shape policy and practice across the legal services sector. By providing both a thematic overview and personal case studies, it empowered stakeholders to better understand the experiences of ethnic minority consumers and take meaningful steps towards improving trust, fairness, and outcomes for all.
The report is available here: Understanding Ethnic Minority Experiences of Using Legal Services
