From today, LawWorks is starting a new phase of its LawWorks Cymru work, thanks to a £422,760 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
It aims to progress its network of independent clinics in Wales, and in particular aiming to facilitate more clinics in healthcare and community mental health settings to improve access for vulnerable people.
Over the last three years, eight new clinics have been established, the number of volunteers in clinics has doubled and the number of clients receiving free legal advice and support from clinics in the LawWorks network in Wales reached a total of over 7,000.
LawWorks Cymru is one of the latest projects receiving a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players’ ticket purchases.
Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of LawWorks, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to receive a five-year grant from The National Lottery Community Fund for LawWorks Cymru. LawWorks currently supports a network of 40 independent pro bono clinics in Wales, where volunteers provide free legal advice on issues such as housing, welfare benefits, employment and family law.
:The grant will enable LawWorks to continue to support and develop existing and new clinics, enabling some of the most vulnerable in the community to access vital legal advice. This need has become even greater during the current COVID-19 pandemic.”
Jeremy Miles MS, Counsel General and Minister for European Transition, said:
“Lawyers, voluntary organisations and charities have long been a source of free legal advice and assistance to people who are not eligible for legal aid or who cannot pay for the advice that they need. The Commission on Justice in Wales, in its review of Wales’s justice system, recognised that without this safety net there is a risk that people are denied proper access to justice and that the Rule of Law is undermined.
“I am delighted that NLCF is supporting LawWorks with grant funding over five years. This will make a significant contribution to the valuable work of LawWorks in Wales, supporting its network of voluntary lawyers and improving access to advice services for many vulnerable people.”
LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers both with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay, and with the not-for-profit organisations that support them and their communities. LawWorks believes in the power of pro bono legal advice to improve the lives of people in need.
For further information about LawWorks, please click here.
LawWorks is supported by the Law Society of England and Wales, the independent professional body for solicitors. It invites law firms and in-house legal teams to join LawWorks Cymru for free. More information can be found in our recent story, here.
