Assessing unmet legal needs in Malta

Abstract

This thesis focuses on exploratory research pertaining to Malta’s unmet legal needs. The data used for the research, was primarily collected by the University of Malta’s Legal Clinic (the “Clinic”) from the scholastic year 2019/2020. For the purposes of this research, the Clinic is used as a vessel for investigation; and can therefore be described as a laboratory, since its ease of access and free legal services attract different people’s many legal needs. The Clinic and the students that run it meet these needs in a number of ways, delivering output in many forms such as; academic reports, legal solutions and a vast array of data concerning law and society. Those who typically make use of the Clinic’s services (the “clients”) mostly belong to marginalised groups (people from a low socio-economic background and migrants). The unmet legal needs of irregular migrants are explored in detail in this dissertation as they comprise the majority of the cases brought before the Clinic.