Survey looks at attitudes to Aids patients

LEGAL aid lawyers in England and Wales are being asked this week to take part in a survey to test how people with Aids and HIV are being treated by the legal system.

All 10,000 legal aid firms are being sent the forms as part of a European Union project to examine ways of ending discrimination against Aids and HIV sufferers.

At the same time people with Aids and HIV are being asked to complete a parallel survey detailing their experience of the legal system.

The legal side of the project is being handled by Professor Avrom Sherr of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a co-founder of advice project The Immunity Centre.

He said that initial research had thrown up some "extremely sad" cases which illustrated the problems that Aids and HIV sufferers had with the cost of legal services and the time it took for cases to be processed.

"The courts are trying to be more accessible, but here is a whole body of people not getting access," he said.



Lawyers who wish to contribute to the survey should contact Professor Sherr on 0171 637 1731.