Lawyers And Charity Join Forces To Offer Legal Advice Clinics
By Rob Dixon
Solicitors at Irwin Mitchell are teaming up with leading charity 'Irish in Birmingham', to offer free legal clinics for the city’s Irish community.
From Thursday 03 October 2013, legal experts from the national law firm will be holding fortnightly legal advice clinics at the charity’s offices at St Anne’s Parish Centre on Alcester Street from 2pm to 4pm. No appointments are necessary and the firm has set up a dedicated email address for enquiries – irishinbirmingham@irwinmitchell.com
Based at their hub in St Anne’s Parish Centre and extending to all areas of the city through their spoke groups, Irish in Birmingham serves a vital function in providing quality advice and support services that meet the welfare and cultural needs of the Irish Community in Birmingham.
In existence since 1957, the charity engages with the long established Irish community in the city; the latest census reports from the Office of National Statistics indicate that there are over 55,216 people who were born in Ireland currently residing in Birmingham.
County Tyrone native Mark Lennon, a solicitor based at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office said: "Cuts to funding has led to valuable services traditionally offering free legal advice to the public being forced to shut down. We have recently seen the closure of the Birmingham Law Centre. The Centre had provided legal advice and representation on social welfare law for people who could not afford to go to a solicitor.
"There is no longer an available outlet in the City and people are struggling to find answers to their legal problems. We are hoping that our legal advice clinics, which will be managed by qualified legal staff, will help to some degree to fill the void.
"Irwin Mitchell has always been committed to getting out and engaging with local communities and charities, ensuring that the public are fully aware of the support available to them.
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Midlands leading charity, Irish in Birmingham to offer the Irish community advice, support and information.”
Maurice Malone, chief executive of Irish In Birmingham, added: “This collaboration with Irwin Mitchell professionals will enable us to offer our clients much needed expertise in the legal arena, adding extra value to our existing support and cultural services.”
Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in relation to Community