Citizens Advice Teignbridge and The Family Law Company partnership boosts access to family law advice
A new collaboration between Citizens Advice Teignbridge and The Family Law Company will improve access to family law advice for the local community, especially the most vulnerable.
Citizens Advice Teignbridge has secured funding through its Family Law Clinic to support Litigants in Person for all aspects of family law. This is for people who do not qualify for legal aid and are unable to afford a lawyer so have no choice but to represent themselves.
To help them, the organisation is partnering with the University of Exeter Community Law Clinic, so law students can provide free legal advice under the supervision of the Citizens Advice Teignbridge Legal Services Manager. The support available through the clinic helps individuals understand their legal position, rights, and options in key areas of family law, including:
• Parental disputes and child arrangements
• Divorce, dissolution & relationship breakdown
• Financial orders
• Protection from domestic abuse
However, where individuals are eligible for legal aid, they need the support of a law firm, so the Family Law Clinic is unable to help. With fewer firms still offering a legal aid service, some of the most vulnerable people in our communities are at risk of being unable to get the help they need.
The new collaboration seeks to address this. The Clinic can now forward relevant enquiries directly to The Family Law Company, helping to ensure vulnerable people – including victims of domestic abuse – can obtain legal aid without delay, provided that they meet the criteria set by the Legal Aid Agency.
The Family Law Company Business Development Director, Kerry England said: “By working together with Citizens Advice Teignbridge we are helping to ensure that residents of Teignbridge have access specialist family law support when they need it most.
“The partnership reflects our commitment to ensuring that no one is left without access to legal advice during some of life’s most challenging moments.”
Jacob Pritchard from Citizens Advice Teignbridge added: “For quite some time there has been a lack of legal aid provision for family cases, with fewer firms taking on this work. So we are delighted that The Family Law Company is taking the initiative; we know this means we will be able to help many more local people to solve their family issues.”
