Pro Bono: It's Part of Being a Lawyer

What can I do if I can’t afford professional legal help?

This is a question that we as lawyers hear often. Depending on the issue that you need legal assistance for, there may be a number of options open to you including government-funded Legal Aid. However, in some circumstances, having a lawyer act for you ‘pro bono’ may be the only option. This means a lawyer volunteering their professional skills to assist, advise or represent you for free.

The 13th annual National Pro Bono Week, sponsored by the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, takes place this week 3 – 7 November 2014. The aim of the week is to celebrate the breadth and impact of pro bono work undertaken by the legal profession across the year.

#probonoitspartofbeingalawyer

We at Fiona Bruce Solicitors take the opportunity this National Pro Bono Week to mention the pro bono work that our solicitors undertake; both as part of the firm’s commitments and in their own time.

In particular we highlight the work of our weekly Legal Advice Clinics. These clinics, based in Latchford and Widnes, have been providing a free legal advice service for many years and the firm has achieved Highly Commended in the Law Society Award for Excellence in Pro Bono for this service. The clinics were founded to provide quality free legal advice to our community in order to aid access to justice and to illustrate our beliefs as a Christian law firm.

The clinics are run by our trainee solicitors and the advice given is overseen by our qualified senior staff. In addition, the clinics are facilitated on a practical level by a number of people without whose support and assistance we would not be able to provide this vital service.

Where to get advice

If you are in need of free legal advice, please visit one of our local clinics:

Latchford Legal Advice Clinic

Latchford Baptist Church, Loushers Lane, Warrington, WA4 2RP
Every Monday (excluding Bank Holidays) 11am – 12pm
Drop-in
 

Widnes Legal Advice Clinic

The Foundry Shop, Albert Road, Town Centre, Widnes, WA8 6JW.
Every Thursday 10am – 11am
By appointment: 0151 420 8837

We can accommodate four 15 minute appointments at each venue per week and always welcome return customers. We also offer a large number of free interviews each day at our offices that could help provide answers to your questions without having to make any formal instruction or payment to us. Please contact us and we will be delighted to make an appointment for you with a member of the relevant department.

Article Disclaimer

This article is for general information only and does not constitute specific advice. You should not rely on the information in this article. Fiona Bruce Solicitors recommends that you seek our specific advice if you wish to rely on the any part of this article. Whilst Fiona Bruce Solicitors makes every effort to ensure that the article is accurate, Fiona Bruce Solicitors excludes all liability for claim, loss, demands or damages of any kind whatsoever (whether such claims, loss, demands or damages were foreseeable, known or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the use of this article or any other information contained on this website. Any information provided only applies to England and Wales.