Civil liberties group Liberty is expanding its legal advice service for members of the public, which currently helps thousands of people each year.
It has recruited a new Advice and Information Manager, Ian Browne, to lead the expansion. He will oversee the creation of a new online legal advice system, and develop a series of trainings for frontline organisations, such as groups supporting survivors of domestic violence and victims of crime, to provide legal advice tailored to their specialisms.
Browne was previously one of Liberty’s Advice and Information Officers, having joined the organisation in 2016 from the Legal Advice Centre in East London. He is a committee member at the Young Legal Aid Lawyers, a former chair of the Young Lawyers Committee of the Human Rights Lawyers Association and a trustee of Hackney Community Law Centre.
‘Liberty’s Advice and Information team provide a vital service to members of the public who need help and may have nowhere else to turn,’ he said.
‘The decimation of legal aid has priced ordinary people out of the justice system. Until the Ministry of Justice opens its eyes to the damage it has caused and reverses the cuts, more and more people will be reliant on the capacity of free advice services.
‘Although it can never replace the lawyer that so many people desperately need, by expanding Liberty’s service we hope we will be able to do even more to assist those in need and train other groups to do likewise.’
The expansion has been made possible by a £250,000 grant to Liberty earlier this year from the People’s Postcode Lottery players.
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