State Secretary Struycken: “In a democratic rule of law, everyone has the right to legal assistance. Social advocacy provides this legal assistance to those who cannot afford it themselves but are at risk due to a legal problem. It is a joint responsibility of the government and the commercial legal profession to make social advocacy sustainable. Therefore, the cabinet invests an additional 30 million euros annually and implements other measures to ensure that there are sufficient and high-quality social advocates available in the future. This way, we uphold the foundation of access to justice in our rule of law.”

The profession of social advocates is facing a high outflow and a low inflow of new social advocates. Reasons for this include aging, lack of awareness among law students, a negative image, and also the fees. As a result, the supply of social advocates is decreasing. This decline will be addressed by adjusting the fees starting in 2026, implementing short-term measures, and developing a vision as a basis for long-term measures. This is to ensure the sustainability of social advocacy.

In the short term, the state secretary proposes several additional measures alongside the extra investments. A pilot will be set up where starting advocates can receive an advance if they have not previously been paid for a case as a social advocate. The existing subsidy for the professional training of social advocates will also be extended by approximately 2.5 million euros. This subsidy will allow for the training of 175 new social advocates. The subsidy is available until the funds are exhausted. Previous editions of the subsidy financed the professional training of approximately 525 social advocates. To raise awareness of the profession of social advocate in a more positive light, a campaign with ambassadors and role models will be launched by the government.

In a broader context, a meeting will be organized in the short term with the commercial legal profession about subsidized legal assistance and the contribution that the commercial legal profession could make by taking on cases for which there are currently insufficient social advocates available. Finally, further research will be conducted by the Dutch Bar Association into a guarantee for trainee entrepreneurs, and the Knowledge Center for Subsidized Legal Assistance will research the availability of social advocates by region and area of law.

In addition to the extra funds for fees and the short-term measures, a vision for the future of social advocacy will be developed together with the Dutch Bar Association, the Legal Aid Board, and the Association of Social Advocacy Netherlands. This vision will shape long-term measures. Currently, the vision process has produced four pillars for the future vision, where reasonable compensation is a crucial prerequisite. These pillars are: alternative business structures, image, education, and efficient business operations. These pillars will be presented to a broad network of stakeholders, including social advocates, law students, legal aid insurers, and representatives of the judiciary. The goal is to complete the vision by the third quarter of this year.