Lawyers provide pro bono advice at the Poplaw Clinic at Whitechapel`s Ideas Store in Whitechapel to residents on issues such as housing, employment and benefits. Poplaw Whitechapel takes place every Monday evening at the Idea Store in Whitechapel. The original Poplaw clinic is held every Tuesday evening at Poplar`s Idea Store. Dentons founded Poplaw in 2006 with the support of LawWorks. The clinics are run by Dentons volunteers with administrative support from Queen`s University law students. Brandon Ransley, Managing Partner of Dentons UK at Dentons, commented on the launch of Poplaw Whitechapel: “We are delighted to open a second Poplaw Legal Advice Clinic. We have seen a significant increase in the demand for free legal advice as a result of recent cuts to the legal aid system. While pro bono is not an alternative to legal aid, a growing network of local clinics – like Poplaw – is making a positive difference for thousands of people who would otherwise struggle to get advice and support. Statistics from 2016 show that legal aid for consumer debt, discrimination and housing is down nine per cent from 2015. So what advice does Andrew give to law students who might feel inspired by this article? He tells us: Most cases have to do with employment, but can range from social benefits to consumer credit or housing. But because the clinic is a walk-in appointment, they never know who is coming or what the problem will be.
Bernadette O`Sullivan, Director of Corporate Responsibility (CSR) at Dentons, told Eastlondonlines: “We have seen a huge increase in demand for legal advice and we have seen that the number of people in our poplar clinic has increased. London—Dentons is pleased to announce the opening of a second Poplaw Legal Advice Clinic in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The launch of the new Whitechapel-based clinic follows the resounding success of the firm`s first legal clinic, held weekly in Poplar. Designed to assist anyone who might have a question about a criminal or procedural matter, including: people who are supposed to be witnesses in court, victims of crime, people under investigation or charged with crimes, people who have been convicted of crimes and want advice on appeals of their verdict. Herbert Smith Freehills has a long history of providing pro bono legal services to clients such as charities, NGOs, developing country governments and marginalized individuals. We take great pride in the results our clients achieve for the communities in which we live and work, and the relationships and reputation we`ve built along the way. Whitechapel residents who need legal help are encouraged to visit a new contact point in Whitechapel where they can get free advice. “Often, clients bring a letter of advice that they simply don`t understand.
Some of our clients do not have English as their first language, which makes the situation even more difficult for them. We have resources in the clinic and in the office, so we can find someone to translate if needed, or our lawyers can do research in the office. “It`s great, there`s a huge demand for legal advice that hasn`t been met. I think what they are doing is perfect for the region and will help those in need. Congratulations to them The company supports a number of charities in its five main pillars: access to justice, human rights, international development, charitable advice and impact investing. These include the AIRE Centre, which provides advice on EU law and human rights issues; Beam, a social enterprise that helps mobile clients raise crowdfunding for job training; and the Prisoner Counselling Centre, which provides detainees with free legal assistance regarding their rights. The Centre provides legal assistance to individuals, groups and businesses during the biannual period (October to May) on a variety of legal issues, which you can explore below. The team can advise families and/or guardians on their children`s special educational needs. This can range from advice on appeals, support for SEN schools to funding or travel matters. Specialized clinics for anyone who works in the creative industries and has a legal concern about their work.
Dan Bodle, Co-Chair of Dentons` CSR Committee in the UK, added: “The customer feedback we have received from Poplaw Clinic over the past decade has been excellent. The local leaders of Tower Hamlets, as well as the residents we have helped, tell us that this is a very valuable service and that we are very pleased to be able to expand the clinic. Our volunteers dedicate a great deal of time and effort to providing this service and their dedication makes Poplaw a success. “There are many volunteer opportunities. Most students should be aware of the crisis of access to justice in the country right now. Cuts to legal aid funding have forced hundreds of counselling providers to close their doors to those who could not afford it. Free legal aid centers and pro bono clinics are regularly overwhelmed, so volunteering with them or a university pro bono clinic to help with case review, signs, or basic counseling is a good option. Not only does this help others, which is helpful in itself, but it also teaches how to apply the law in practice that can distinguish one candidate from others during interview rounds. The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre (LAC) provides free and accessible legal advice to local communities in East London and the general public, thereby promoting access to justice in the community. The sessions, conducted by the law firm Dentons, follow a pattern established in an ongoing clinic in Poplar. They opened in Whitechapel with the help of pro bono law firm Law Works in response to a need in the community. After graduating from Oxford University in English in 2011, Andrew took time off to work on conservation projects while completing his Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC).
It wasn`t until he joined the firm as an articling student in 2013 that he got a taste of pro bono work as a volunteer at Whitechapel Clinic. He also volunteered at an intern secondment in Seoul, South Korea, and helped create an investor guide in Sierra Leone as part of the company`s Fair Deal for Sierra Leone project. The project was created to help the Government of Sierra Leone effectively respond to the interests of global investors and ensure sustainable growth and development. Andrew graduated in 2015 and worked in the real estate team for 18 months before applying for his current position, which he accepted in June 2017. In just over a year, the Poplar Clinic has processed more than 53,000 requests. To meet the high demand, O`Sullivan has 125 Dentons lawyers and trainee lawyers on duty. Following cuts to the legal aid system, the demand for pro bono work has increased, with Poplaw recording a 24% increase between April 2015 and May 2016. As we operate in regions with different pro bono cultures, it makes sense to focus our pro bono practice on ways to reinforce the fundamental principle on which justice is based – the rule of law. We also prioritize issues and projects focused on social inclusion and capacity building in communities in need.
We value sharing skills, training and collaboration with our volunteer clients, whether they are established global charities, municipal law centres, or innovative thought leaders in community service delivery. In total, Poplaw has served 4,500 clients and provided over 10,000 hours of free legal advice, saving the community £4.8 million in legal fees. This led Poplaw to be awarded last year with the Lord Mayor`s Dragon Award for many years of achievement. Like the Poplar Clinic, the Whitechapel Clinic provides legal assistance to residents on issues such as debt, housing, consumers, employment and benefits, and takes place 50 weeks a year each week. Poplaw celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2016 and won the prestigious Lord Mayor`s Award for Longstanding Achievement at the 2016 Lord Mayor`s Dragon Awards in London. As part of this initiative, Dentons` lawyers have advised more than 4,500 Tower Hamlets clients who may not have access or can afford it free of charge. Specialized clinics established to meet the specific needs of the LGBT community. This may include: discrimination, the formation and dissolution of civil partnerships, hate crimes, immigration, and wills and estates.
“We did our due diligence and realized there was a need and demand for a second clinic in the district. That`s when we decided to open another one. The Legal Advice Centre manages a number of community projects in Tower Hamlets and other areas of London. Through these projects, students involved in LAC have the opportunity to connect with the local community and teach them how to embrace the idea of “street law” and share their legal knowledge, raise awareness of the law and provide support to society at large. Volunteers win cases for people who would otherwise not be able to afford legal advice, obtain tenant bonds, resolve consumer disputes, collect paycheques from misguided employers, and help those in debt or at risk of homelessness. It can be a long struggle. For example, a client came to the clinic in 2015 after being wrongly fired by his employer.
