Audrey Ludwig is the Suffolk Law Centre s legal director
- Credit: Archant
A Suffolk legal advice centre has announced the launch of a new service aimed at assisting elderly people and their families to access the right support.
Based in St Matthew’s Street, Ipswich, the Suffolk Law Centre (SLC) was established in April 2018 after a successful crowdfunding campaign.
The centre provides free advice in key legal areas, including employment, housing, family and personal injury, as well as legal casework in discrimination.
Since its launch, the law centre has helped hundreds of local people tackle their legal challenges.
The launch of its new wills, probate and elder care clinic this month is a direct response to the growth in demand over the last year for pro bono advice in these specific legal areas, according to the centre.
Audrey Ludwig is the Suffolk Law Centre s legal director
- Credit: Archant
A Suffolk legal advice centre has announced the launch of a new service aimed at assisting elderly people and their families to access the right support.
Based in St Matthew’s Street, Ipswich, the Suffolk Law Centre (SLC) was established in April 2018 after a successful crowdfunding campaign.
The centre provides free advice in key legal areas, including employment, housing, family and personal injury, as well as legal casework in discrimination.
Since its launch, the law centre has helped hundreds of local people tackle their legal challenges.
The launch of its new wills, probate and elder care clinic this month is a direct response to the growth in demand over the last year for pro bono advice in these specific legal areas, according to the centre.
jointly delivered by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Access to Justice Foundation
full £3.1 million now awarded to a range of local, regional and local services
A new MOJ and Access to Justice Foundation joint initiative has now awarded all of its funding, working with 11 new projects that cover more than 50 different organisations across England and Wales – providing advice and guidance to those without legal representation.
This marks an important milestone in the MOJ’s Legal Support Action Plan, helping those who are representing themselves in court. The grant is working with partnerships of not-for-profit organisations, providing new routes to support at local, regional and national levels.
The low down
Any government will focus on its legacy as it heads towards dissolution and the possibility of a lost election. For Gordon Brown’s administration, the Equality Act was part of that legacy – an ambitious 11th-hour addition to the statute book that replaced nine pieces of legislation, including groundbreaking and iconic laws on race and equal pay. The act was preceded by the creation of a new watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which absorbed the discrete equality remits of its predecessors. But does an ‘umbrella’ approach to equality work? The act is often misunderstood by the public bodies that should enforce and reinforce it. And with poor access to justice, people with the protected characteristics listed in the act find that making their rights justiciable is a struggle.