Legal help-seeking behaviour among veterans: the link between time elapsed in seeking help and legal options to address a legal matter

ABSTRACT This study provides a unique approach for investigating help-seeking behaviour, specifically the occurrence of actual help-seeking behaviour among the British Military Veteran population. The study aimed to evaluate the range of legal options available to address a legal matter based on how quickly from an issue arising help was sought to address it. This study represents the first study into veterans’ legal help-seeking that examines actual legal matters that were brought to a legal advice project. (1) the study suggested a relationship between the elapsed time from the introduction of a legal issue and seeking help and the range of legal options available to clients, and (2) In comparison with the general population, the majority of veterans who contacted an adviser to help with their problems delayed seeking legal help until their options become limited or non-existent. This clearly puts them at increased risk for unsuccessful outcomes in terms of the likelihood of achieving a satisfactory resolution of their problems. It shows that military identity is a determining factor in the length of time people take before seeking legal help and that a military identity can inhibit people from seeking help in a timely manner.