There is growing evidence of links between law and health demonstrating that social problems with a legal dimension can exacerbate or create ill health and, conversely, that ill-health can create legal problems. Public health experts have identified social factors as important determinants of health, even more than genes or clinical care. This session discussed the international development of integrating social welfare legal services with health services to address both health and legal needs. Health professionals and legal practitioners have been working to combine their respective services in order to provide more integrated services, such as Medical-Legal partnerships that can help train doctors to identify legal needs and bring legal advice into health provision. Still, there is a need for sustainable resources in the long term. We need to be able to demonstrate the benefits of health justice partnerships, as well as rigorous evidence and an impassioned argument to advance the agenda.
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