Lord Mayor Magid Magid To Launch Free Legal Advice Clinic For Sheffield’s Somali Community

The Somali community in Sheffield is set to benefit from free legal advice, courtesy of Irwin Mitchell.

The local law firm, which is based in Millsands, will be hosting a series of monthly free legal advice clinics at the ISRAAC Somali Community Association centre at Vestry Hall on Cemetery Road.

The first session will be hosted on Wednesday 11 July at 11am, with the clinic set to be officially launched on Wednesday 8 August at 10am by The Lord Mayor of Sheffield and former Somali refugee, Magid Magid.

Irwin Mitchell lawyers  Ewan Bain and Rosie Charlton will attend the centre to offer the community expert legal advice on an initial pro bono basis in a number of areas including compensation for personal injuries, court of protection, welfare benefits, disability rights and immigration.

Commenting on the Irwin Mitchell’s free legal advice clinic at ISRAAC, Sheffield’s Lord Mayor, Magid Magid said: “This is an outstanding opportunity for the Somali community to have free legal advice on many issues and one I’m sure many will want to take advantage of. I fully support Irwin Mitchell’s pro bono clinics which seek to offer access to justice for people who would otherwise not be able to receive it. It’s vital that we reach out to all communities and offer what help we can.”

Expert Opinion

“We’re delighted to be hosting these free legal advice clinics for ISRAAC. Being able to offer this service to people who need it is exactly what our pro bono initiative is all about. We hold similar monthly clinics at the Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA) in the Wicker and in the past have run clinics at our Sheffield office for communities across the city. We’ve always received extremely encouraging and positive feedback from people who have attended; it’s really important to enable people to access pro bono legal advice they so desperately need.” Ewan Bain - Solicitor

ISRAAC itself is a community group that provides services and support for Somalis throughout Sheffield. It aims to improve the education of all Somalis, raise the skills and confidence of people, promote positive integration and develop and maintain a strong cultural identity at the same time.

Providing pro bono support to businesses, charities and individuals is a crucial element of Irwin Mitchell’s social responsibility work. Every year, colleagues from the law firm donate hundreds of hours of their own time to support local community and national pro bono initiatives.

In addition to making up part of Irwin Mitchell’s pro bono initiative, which looks to improve access to justice for those who would otherwise be unable to access it, the clinics also come under the banner of one of the law firm’s diversity networking groups, IM Respect, which supports and celebrates race, religion and ethnicity.

For convenience, appointments for legal advice clinics at ISRAAC will operate on a walk-in basis, with no prior booking necessary.