Legal Aid for charities?

H

Henny Penny

Registered User
Messages
559
Can a community group (with charitable status) apply for legal aid for the purpose of obtaining a lease on a premesis?
 
No - legal aid does not cover this situation.

Best bet is a friendly local solicitor who might be willing to do it cheaply. Although most of us shy away - voluntary/community groups tend to be quite hard work ( you spend way too much time with voluntary groups because they expect their advisors to be as committed to and interested in the project) for the minimal return.

mf
 
As a solicitor, unless the cause is one which personally interest me, my rule for all voluntary group\committee clients is cash up front. I don't rigidly enforce the rule, but I certainly hold it to be a valid one.

A rule like this works both ways: a group which makes it clear that they expect to pay (and cash up fron is the easiest way to make this clear!) can also make it clear that they expect the same service priority as other clients.
 
There are a number of Barristers you can approach directly in these instances it's called voluntary assistance and is run by the Bar Council...there's one in the eye for solicitors

[broken link removed]
 
mmclo said:
There are a number of Barristers you can approach directly in these instances it's called voluntary assistance and is run by the Bar Council...there's one in the eye for solicitors

[broken link removed]
Click to expand...

Sorry this may not be as applicable for a lease as I have just seen that
 
So perhaps its not one in the eye for solicitors?

Most solicitors ( particularly the smaller outfits) do a fair amount of pro bono work - it is part of client / community relationships. As both MOB and I have made clear though, working for voluntary groups tends to be quite wearing.

mf
 
I do a small amount of pro bono work voluntarily. However quite a few files become pro bono against my wishes...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top