The legal challenge (From Borehamwood Times)

The legal challenge

1:02pm Wednesday 26th November 2008

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Access to a fair trial is a basic human right. But what happens when defendants cannot afford to get the legal advice they need? Janaki Mahadevan investigates.

Last year 4,400 people in Hertfordshire used lawyers who they could not afford to pay.

They did this through the Government’s legal aid system, which costs £2 billion a year to run.

Legal aid helps people who need to defend themselves against criminal charges, and also those facing eviction, child custody battles, divorce and debt proceedings.

About two million people across the country are provided with information, advice and legal representation through the scheme.

But with only a limited number of legal aid solicitors available, people sometimes have a tough time making use of the free service.

Councillor Ernie Butler, Labour representative for Borehamwood’s Cowley Hill ward, said: “I have constituents who really need help and have tried to get lists of legal aid solicitors but there are so few available. There are people who really need access to legal services even if they only need some advice to see what their position is.

“There are a lot of cases where the Citizens Advice Bureau recommends people see a solicitor but when they go to look for them, they aren’t there. Solicitors should not be just for the rich.”

In a bid to encourage more law students to specialise in legal aid work, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) has boosted the number of awards available under its training contracts grants scheme.

Each grant is worth as much as £20,000 and helps support trainee solicitors and their organisation for up to four years.

One trainee lawyer who has already benefited from the funding is Clare Denton. She started as a paralegal — a person who undertakes legal work but is not a trained lawyer — at Freedman Sharman and Co solicitors, in Shenley Road, Borehamwood.

Ms Denton said: “The service is important as it provides a legal service to people who otherwise would not be able to obtain it through lack of means and therefore would not have a fair chance of justice.

“I was interested in doing legal aid, as before receiving the grant I was already working as a paralegal at Freedman Sharman & Co, which undertakes a lot of legal aid work. So having worked in this area, I was interested in pursuing it further.

“The grant helped in the fact it gave my firm the financial aid to be able to provide me with a training contract, which otherwise I would not have been able to obtain.

“Legal aid means people can seek the help they need when they need it, and not have to worry about the cost.”

m Access to legal aid depends on income and the type of advice needed. For help in getting free legal advice, call the free Community Legal Advice service on 0845 345 4345 or visit legalservices.gov.uk

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