Suffolk Law Centre - Coping With Covid – Still Giving Good Service

Coping With Covid –

Still Giving Good Service

ISCRE 46a St Matthews St. Ipswich Suffolk IP1 3EP

(Suffolk Law Advice Clinics & Tackling Discrimination in the East)

At the Law Centre, we are now talking about writing an Impact Report to reflect on our work. Whilst usually annual, we haven’t done once since 2019 as last year, quite frankly we were too busy with the lockdown. So, we will be writing one to cover the last two years and our plans for the future.

To prepare, I asked Law Centre colleagues about their suggestions for content. Many of them focused on client feedback and some of the new developments we have introduced over the last couple of years: such as the new Wills Probate and Elder Care Clinic and early interventions to assist litigants in person, especially those with clusters of different legal problems.

Ruby Peacock, a Discrimination Legal Advisor, reminded me of feedback from a couple of disabled clients we had assisted with discrimination ET claims against former employers.

One, let’s call him ‘Steve’ had a physical disability. His former employer disputed he was even disabled and then tried holding back relevant documents which they didn’t want to disclose (on the interesting grounds that they would not assist them). After a successful hearing and threats to apply for their defence to be struck out, we got a settlement and got this feedback:

Another client, ‘Andrew’ wrote, “This year so far, January – September 2021 SLC has received 1,455 enquiries into the law center. Of that number, we have provided 602 LAC appointments. We are very proud of our new clinic Wills/Probate and Eldercare that started this year which has advised to 35 clients. We have received some excellent feedback from LAC clients who have benefitted from our service provision.

Client at General Appointment July 2021 I was advised of the route I needed to take to obtain further help with my insurance claim which had been rejected, all to no avail. As mentioned above, I located the Law Advice Centre who could not have been more helpful. They listened to my issue and referred me to a solicitor who confirmed my thoughts and was very helpful in ensuring that my complaint was resolved. I would certainly recommend this service.

Client at Housing Appointment May 2021 I couldn’t be happier with the service I received. They were very understanding and went out of their way to get me the help I needed in a very quick fashion. What a great service to provide – Thank you!!

“I just wanted to write formally to thank you all for your hard work and diligence in the matter of my discrimination claim. The result is everything I had hoped for and would not have been possible without your respective efforts. The UK legal system is not always perfect and, for every successful claimant like me, I suspect there are probably half a dozen people who are unable to access the means to stand their corner at a Tribunal. Organisations such as Suffolk Law Centre make this kind of justified litigation possible for ‘the underdog’.

“When I was put in touch with the charity I was nervous I had just lost my job and my confidence had taken a beating, I was greeted with a warm welcome and then was put in touch with Carol who listened to my side, re-grew my confidence and gave me the strength to fight for what I knew that happened to me was wrong. My case wasn’t easy, covid hit and I knew I was in for a battle as the company I worked for would never admit what they had done to me, but a year and a half later my case has been settled and all the work has to be credited to you guys and especially Carol all through the process it has been a clear line of commutation, with action points and help in understanding the meaning and next steps even through the pandemic and when I started working again Carol always went above and beyond to arrange calls in the evenings to ensure I had a clear understanding.”

Client at Housing Appointment May 2021 I just wanted to drop you a quick note of thanks. At the end of last year we accessed advice with Alison, the housing lawyer you work with, which helped us make the decision to pursue a tribunal to challenge the Section 13 notice that had been issued to us. The tribunal happened this week, and the judge ruled with us - that the notice was superseded by the terms of our contract and couldn’t be enforced! We’re now busy drafting a complaint letter to the lettings agent, safe in the knowledge that our rent is fixed for our final months in this flat.

We couldn’t have done this so confidently were it not for Alison’s advice and the free support provided by the Law Centre. Thank you so, so much.

General Appointment feedback June 2021 You probably will not remember but through the Suffolk Law Centre, you put me in touch with Louise Plant [Prettys], with regards to helping me with my insurance dispute. I have been in regular contact with Louise and am now delighted to say that I have finally received the full settlement of my claim. I would therefore like to make a donation to your society, as a way of thanking you for putting me in touch with Louise. I am not sure of the best way of doing this and wondered if you could offer any advice.

Georgia, another Legal Triage Officer wrote “since May 2021, I have helped an average of 17 clients a month to deal with a range of issues as litigants in person. This includes the areas of family, employment, housing, debt, discrimination, immigration, community care, policing, and small claims. I have been particularly pleased to assist vulnerable clients with adjourning upcoming court hearings so that they can find representation and/or ensure that they can recover and take the steps necessary to deal with their situations. Additionally, I have helped several clients with clustered issues spanning several legal areas, sometimes amounting to three or four different types.”