Press Releases pre-May 2010

The Legal Services Commission announced today the creation of approximately 40 jobs as a result of the expansion of its Community Legal Advice phone line to provide family law advice.

The addition of family law advice follows the recent extension to Community Legal Advice’s opening hours. Clients can now get help for debt, housing, employment, education and welfare benefits problems between 9.00am and 6.30pm on weekdays and 9.00am and 12.30pm on Saturdays.

Carolyn Regan, Chief Executive of the Legal Services Commission, said:

“The Legal Services Commission is investing around £7million over three years in the Community Legal Advice family service.  From August, people who need help but can’t afford it will be able to call 0845 345 4 345 to get free help for family related legal problems.  During the current recession, debt, eviction or redundancy can put a strain on relationships.  Equally, splitting families can cause housing or debt problems.”

The decision to expand Community Legal Advice to offer family law advice follows a successful pilot.  The evaluation of the pilot found:

• 3,000 calls a month were received by the phoneline from people wanting family law advice - demonstrating strong demand for family help.
• 100% of clients surveyed would recommend the service.
• 82% said the advice they received enabled them to resolve their problem.
• The pilot showed a wide geographical reach and the helpline has potential to offer access to people in very rural locations who may not easily be able to access face-to-face legal advice.
• The pilot successfully reached a diverse client base. 11% of family helpline callers described themselves as having a disability and 20% were from Black or Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

The new roles will be created at three English and one Welsh firm of solicitors, they include:

Approximately fifteen full time equivalent positions will be created at Howells Solicitors, who are based in Sheffield and Rotherham. They currently offer telephone advice in debt, employment, housing and welfare benefits for Community Legal Advice (as sub-contractor to A4e Limited). In addition, they have been involved in the family telephone project since the pilot began. The firm is also involved in providing advice at the Leicester and Hull Community Legal Advice centres, also funded by legal aid (as sub-contractor to A4e Limited).

Sue Colven, Head of the Family Department at Howells Solicitors, said: “Howells are delighted to have won a contract to provide family telephone advice for Community Legal Advice. The service will enable vulnerable people to get the advice they need, including those who might be put off by the stress or inconvenience of having to visit an advisor in person.”

In addition, the service will also be provided by 10 legal professionals from the Wakefield head office of Switalskis Solicitors. The 2008 Yorkshire Law Firm of the Year (1-30 Partners), Switalskis has six offices across West Yorkshire and is the second largest civil legal aid provider in the UK according to recent Ministry of Justice figures. This will be the firm’s first Community Legal Advice phone service.

Switalskis Managing Partner, John Durkan, said: "We’re delighted to have been awarded this prestigious contract. We have a highly experienced team of family law specialists at Switalskis and it is great that their expertise will be able to help an even more diverse range of clients through the flexibility of access offered by the telephone advice service.”
 
Allan Rutherford Solicitors, will gain approximately seven new roles. The firm is located in the centre of Norwich and they specialise in family work. They also provide a free domestic violence legal advice helpline for out of hours help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provide assistance for people with Housing problems at housing court duty possession schemes in Bury St Edmunds and Norwich. Again, the firm has been part of the family telephone advice service from the beginning.

Katherine McNally, Head of the Family Department at Allen Rutherford Solicitors, said: “Allen Rutherford are delighted to be part of the service which is a new and exciting way of delivering family legal advice to a wide section of the community especially those in remote and rural areas at a time when they need it most.”

Approximately seven new positions will also be established in Wales with Morgans Solicitors, who are based in Cardiff, Swansea and Milford Haven. The firm currently provides Community Legal Advice telephone advice in English and Welsh in the categories of debt, employment, housing and welfare benefits.

Roy Morgan, of Morgan’s Solicitors, said “In the current climate the service offers easily accessible and swift advice for many vulnerable people facing debt and repossession problems. The family service will be a valuable addition to this for people going through these difficult times.”

Media information

Daniel Kellingley   Tel: 020 7783 7220

Notes to editors

1. In addition to the new family service Community Legal Advice offers free, confidential help with debt, welfare benefits, tax credits, housing, education and employment problems call on 0845 345 4 345.

2. People can also access the Community Legal Advice website at www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk

3. People can also text their name and ‘legalaid’ to 80010 and Community Legal Advice will call back.

4. The phoneline offers a translation service, available in 170 languages.

5. Advice is also available to people for whom British Sign Language is their first language via the website. http://www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk

6. People experiencing domestic abuse are treated as emergency clients and referred directly to a face-to-face provider.

7. The opening hours of Community Legal Advice will be extended further to cover weekday evenings later in 2009.