The Law Centres Network has been supporting local Law Centres to adapt to the new circumstances, and liaising on their behalf with central government, funders and others.
Rather than wait and see what events bring, we have been assisting Law Centres to meet their duty of care to clients, volunteers and staff, all of whom need clarity over the services we provide.
Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, our head of policy and profile, explains:
“The government’s current public health advice requires us to take immediate steps to ensure that as many people as possible continue to get legal assistance while we pause face-to-face services. We are all keeping this under review as the situation unfolds.
“Right now, our greatest hurdle to continuing services is the lack of timely clarity from the Legal Aid Agency and HMCTS on adaptations. Covid-19 has been looming for some time: we should have been notified of their plans much earlier and in a more co-ordinated manner, rather than insistence on solving issues at local contract manager level.”
For the latest on your local Law Centre's services, please check their website or social media accounts. We will continue to update here on changes relating to all Law Centres.
For further details, please contact us.