SOLICITORS BUILD ADVISORY SERVICE TO HELP RESIDENTS

HOUSING LAW: Birmingham to launch possession case project

Birmingham housing law solicitors have joined forces to launch a duty adviser scheme aimed at preventing residents from losing their homes in residential possession cases.The year-long scheme, set to begin next week, will involve around 25 housing law practitioners from specialist Birmingham firm Community Law Partnership (CLP) and other local law firms, along with advisers from agencies, including the Citizens Advice Bureau.

The 217,000 project is funded by the Legal Services Commission, and will involve expanding the existing duty scheme at Birmingham County Court, which dealt with more than 11,000 possession hearings last year.

Rosaleen Kilbane, CLP partner and chairwoman of the Law Society's housing law committee, said: 'There is no better place to run this pilot than the busiest county court in the country, and we hope that this scheme will increase access to justice for tenants and home owners in Birmingham.'Fellow CLP partner Chris Esdaile said local practitioners had been working towards such a project for ten years before the commission put the contract out to tender.

'Schemes like this are important because there are a lot of people unrepresented in possession hearings whose homes are at risk,' he explained.

'With some sensible advice, many may well avoid possession orders being made against them.'Paula Rohan