ELA Joint Projects with LawWorks

LawWorks/ELA Pro Bono Panel

This Panel has been established for some time and provides many volunteering possibilities. ELA has provided LawWorks with a number of reviewers and firms across England and Wales prepared to accept employment casework.

LawWorks receives requests for assistance with employment matters via advice agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureaux and directly from members of the public. LawWorks also works closely with the Bar Pro Bono Unit.  An application consists of a form and copies of up to 50 sides of documents, although it is generally less than this. After an initial document check LawWorks asks a Reviewer if they would assess the application for suitability for pro bono work. A Reviewer is typically 5+ years qualified and the review process takes up to two weeks.

Once reviewed, if approved, LawWorks sends the opportunity to ELA, to be distributed amongst members. If an ELA member takes on a LawWorks applicant, then they become a client of the firm. This is an excellent opportunity to take on a variety of appropriate case work which has been approved by a senior solicitor or barrister. It also fits in with a firm’s work flow as each matter is considered separately and you can say yes or no on an individual basis.

If you are interested in becoming a Reviewer or would like to become involved in accepting casework, then please email Alison Ingram or tel 0207 092 3940.

LawWorks Training

LawWorks training is open and free to all our member firms, member organisations and individual supporters. The programme is designed to support volunteers advising at legal advice centres and consequently is on various areas of social welfare law; including Consumer Law, Employment, Housing, Small Claims, Debt.  We offer around 40 hours of CPD accredited training across the year. To access training, please register on the LawWorks website www.lawworks.org.uk

 Materials and podcasts (audio recordings) for most sessions can be downloaded from the LawWorks website. CPD points can also be claimed from undergoing distance-learning - listening to the podcasts online and reading accompanying materials. Please see the website for more information.

 If you would like to join LawWorks to access training, please see here for more information. 

 For more information contact our Training Officer Jenny Tang on jenny.tang@lawworks.org.uk / 0207 092 3952.

LawWorks Mediation

LawWorks arranges pro bono civil and commercial mediation throughout England and Wales. We have a panel of accredited mediators, mainly either barristers or solicitors, volunteering to take our cases. We are always happy to add more volunteer mediators, especially from outside London.

We try to offer our applicants a pro bono legal adviser for the mediation where the other party is represented. Lawyers who would like to act as legal advisers for a mediation, without being accredited mediators themselves, are also very welcome as volunteers. It is a great opportunity to see how mediation works.

If you are interested then please email Lavinia Shaw-Brown or tel 020-7092-3950.

APEAL (Apex Trust Employment Advice Line) and ELTAL (Employment Law Telephone Advice Line)

LawWorks works together with the Pro Bono Centre at BPP Law School on a number of employment law related pro bono projects, including two telephone advice services.

APEAL – an employment law telephone advice line dedicated to ex offenders referred from organisations such as Apex Trust, Penrose and New Bridge Foundation.

ELTAL - an employment law telephone advice line open to clients referred from CABs and Law Centres with no employment expertise.

Both lines operate as follows: potential clients leave a message on the BPP lines and a BPP Law Student calls them back on a rota basis. The students interview the callers taking details about them and their employment law issue. Student Directors who run the project send an information sheet to one of the volunteer lawyers who deliver initial legal advice over the telephone on Tuesday evenings between 6.30pm and 8pm on a rota basis. BPP Law Students can attend the lawyer’s firm or chambers and take notes during the call. 

The Pro Bono Centre is looking for additional volunteers to join the 14 lawyers already advising with the APEAL/ELTAL project. This is a commitment to make calls from your own office or home (if more convenient) on a rota basis on Tuesday evenings. You will usually be placed on the rota once every 4-5 weeks and will be asked to make 2-3 calls per session. Volunteers must be fully qualified specialist employment lawyers with at least 2 years PQE. Volunteers can get involved as soon as they are able and because the Clinic operates over the telephone you can get involved no matter where you are based in the country.

Anyone interested should contact Laura Rowland, Supervising Solicitor at BPP on 0207 633 4346 or laurarowland@bpp.com, or alternatively Alasdair Stewart at LawWorks – alasdair.stewart@lawworks.org.uk.