Katherine Adams has been in post as development manager of the newly forming North Wales Law Centre for almost a year. Speaking on Zoom from her office in Llandudno Junction, I feel envious when she tells me when she looks out of her office window, ‘I can see the castle and the sea’.
North Wales, an area of outstanding beauty, is also one of the Law Society’s ‘legal aid deserts’ - taken from data obtained from the Legal Aid Agency and the Office for National Statistics. North Wales, just like 33% of England and Wales, has just one legal aid housing provider. Mark Prichard, a housing consultant based in North Wales, confirms: ‘Since 2001 there’s been no diversity of provision, demonstrated by there being only one legal aid provider outside Cardiff.’
The newly forming law centre is aware that there is a lot to do, and Katherine has worked hard over the last year to form partnerships and scope out the legal need in the area. Co-located in the premises of the Aberconwy Domestic Abuse Service (ADAS), the law centre will work closely with ADAS to provide holistic advice and support. Cheryl Dixon from ADAS confirms that around 70% of their clients require legal advice but only around 40% are eligible for legal aid. Cheryl says: ‘We find when our clients represent themselves, they often have a poor outcome. And, although we often accompany our clients to court, we are at the judge’s discretion whether we can enter the court room when it comes to contact, and we can still be denied if the other party refuses permission. If admitted, we are not allowed to speak on our client’s behalf, and this is extremely frustrating as we see them struggling.’
This will be the first law centre in the north of Wales. With funding from the Legal Education Foundation, AB Charitable Trust, The Steve Morgan Foundation and support from consultant Matthew Howgate, the law centre is about to launch and will be applying for legal aid contracts at the next Legal Aid Agency tender round. Julie Bishop, director of Law Centres Network tells me: ‘After almost 20 years of having identified the need for a law centre in North Wales, we are excited that it is finally happening, and never at a more needed time. Once the law centre is in full swing local people will finally get the legal assistance they need.’
I have to acknowledge ‘some skin in the game’ as they say – as I am on the steering group of the newly forming law centre. It was because of listening to a friend working in advice in North Wales that I had a seed of an idea to set up a law centre there. With £5,000 from Law Centre Network (who had funds from the Law Society to scope out the need in North Wales) we had our inaugural meeting in January 2020 and started to make a plan. We were thrilled that local solicitor Ron Davidson, managing director at Gamlins Law, came on board and then, later, Acton Alphonso, a family solicitor at JW Hughes, a local firm.
On why he joined the steering group, Ron says: ‘Whilst North Wales has a committed pro bono sector, the gap to bridge is simply too wide. North Wales Law Centre is an essential partner to private practice and other third sector organisations to ensure the people of North Wales have the essential representation they so sorely need.’
Acton, 27, is pleased to be a part of the law centre and says it’s a privilege to see how the centre has gone from an idea to fruition.
The law centre very much wants to grow its own expertise with students and trainee solicitors, especially being able to advise and litigate in Welsh. One of the ideas is to partner with universities to deliver legal advice. Glyndwr University in Wrexham plans to create a more interactive law degree and sees partnership working with the law centre as part of this. I asked Dylan Rhys Jones of Glyndwr University how the students felt about plans to partner with the newly forming law centre, ‘There is excitement about the idea and it’s obviously going to help the students but also help the community.’
We know there is a need for the law centre, and we have the enthusiasm and support.
Sue James is chief executive of Legal Action Group and a member of the steering group for North Wales Law Centre
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