This week marks Justice Week. It aims to improve access to justice by boosting the profile of justice and the rule of law, placing them at the centre stage of public and political debate. The focus for Justice Week 2020 is to raise awareness and increase engagement amongst young people.
Our pro bono efforts go back many years and we have been working with the Battersea Legal Advice Centre Clinic for 34 years. The programme’s success simply could not have happened without our people giving up their time.
We caught up with Peter Lockwood, a supervising associate in our employment practice and Euan Mills, a trainee solicitor in our corporate practice, who volunteer to find out more:
How long have you been volunteering at the Battersea clinic?
Peter: “Since my first month of being a trainee – so September 2012”
Euan: “I attend and advise at the legal clinic on a monthly basis. I have been involved since observing on my vacation scheme in 2016 and then ever since I started my training contract.”
What made you want to sign up?
Peter: “Two things: The more altruistic side – there’s such a huge need given the repeated cuts to legal aid, and I’m very lucky that I’m able to help, so it’s good to give something back. The less altruistic side – good for my career and development doing the sort of work Battersea does – meeting clients face to face from day one, advising, being pragmatic, and the wide range of cases that come in.”
Euan: “Two reasons: firstly, at a junior level it gives you invaluable and incomparable opportunities to take on responsibility and lead client-facing situations. Secondly, and on a more personal level, it provides a sense of perspective against the other work I do on a larger commercial level; I feel like I’m giving something back.”
Have there been any benefits for your career?
Peter: “Definitely. In particular, it’s really helped my client skills and witness interviewing technique.”
Euan: “It has given me further opportunities to develop my drafting style and tone as well as building up my confidence not only in client-facing situations but also in tackling new areas of law that I would not otherwise have engaged in.”
How much of a commitment is it? How much time do you spend there?
Peter: “I visit the clinic one evening a month. The session is from 7pm – 8:30pm but with travel, it does take up most of the evening. I also occasionally have to follow up the next day. As my experience grows I’ve found I have to do less of this as I’m more comfortable advising immediately. I also act as a sounding board for a lot of the employment law advice others are giving in the clinic, so I get the occasional ad hoc query most weeks.”
Euan: "Time-wise, it is not a huge commitment. I would usually attend the clinic once per month and it only takes up a couple of hours on a Monday evening. Notwithstanding this, if there happens to be follow up work e.g. a letter of advice, then that may require a further 3-4 hours of your time over the following weeks.”
What’s the most rewarding thing about volunteering?
Peter: “Honestly, as trite as it sounds, the feeling that you’ve helped someone. It’s pretty rare to solve the entire legal problem in an evening, but you can give the client a sensible way forward and set out the decisions they need to make and the potential impacts of each. Fundamentally, whatever you do, the client is in a better position than if they’d tried to handle it themselves.”
Euan: “Giving back to those who are not necessarily in as fortunate a position a number of us are. It’s important they everyone has the same access to justice and legal advice regardless of their background. Especially when a number of the clients I meet are simply in a situation of a misunderstanding or have been taken advantage of by someone or an entity.”
What's the most interesting case you’ve worked on?
Peter: “I had a fascinating case once. A guy came in basically to get advice because he was being chucked out of his house. It turned out he and another person had been living in the gatehouse of a Grade 2 listed building. The owner was deliberately letting it fall into a state of disrepair so that they could knock it down and build luxury flats instead. Both men were employed as security guards for the property, but the owner was abroad and didn’t even know that they worked at the property. To cut a long story short, he came in for advice on how not to be made homeless and ended up with a £38k settlement.”
Euan: “Not necessarily the most interesting, but the most rewarding cases are often the ones that you know that you are making a positive impact in helping the client out of a bad situation that is not their fault. One case that sticks with me was where a young woman had moved to London from a difficult family situation but had, due to a number of misunderstandings and unlucky events, ended up in a really inhabitable living situation. Thankfully, I with the help of my pro bono colleagues, I was able to advise and direct her on a course of action towards finding suitable accommodation rather than becoming homeless. However, as the legal clinic is only an initial point of contact so, as with all cases, you never find out how things turn out. Nevertheless, it is rewarding to know that you have done what you can to help someone in need.”
How do you manage your time, balancing volunteering with client work?
Peter: “Honestly it’s not hard. My rule is that if I’ve committed to something I treat it like a client meeting, so the only times I’d ever drop out are where I am ill or if I have a court deadline. If this happens I’ll ask a bit in advance if I can swap nights. I really try to avoid cancelling on the day just because I’ve got a lot on – it just means I have to come back to the office after the clinic or come in early the next day.
Euan: “The firm is very supportive and encourages us to undertake pro bono work and you are able to fit in pro bono work around your client work by ensuring your supervisors are aware of your commitments.”
How are you supported by Simmons?
Peter: "My team has always been supportive of me volunteering at the Battersea clinic."
Euan: “It is treated on a par with your billable work and, subject to anything time-sensitive, the firm allows you to leave early to attend. The pro bono team and the other volunteers provide a support network for bouncing ideas and helping produce any legal advice.”
What happens when you are on holiday or can’t make a session?
Euan: “I have found, as with any aspect of your job, that the more notice you can give the team as to why you cannot make a session, the better. The beauty of the clinic is that all the volunteers want to make a difference so, as long as you can give the team adequate notice, another member of the team will often step in.”
What else is happening to mark Justice Week?
To launch the week we hosted a seminar in our London office on behalf of the Legal Services Board (LSB). The LSB presented insights from their Individual Legal Needs Survey, which looks at whether public legal education can increase access to justice.
