Personal Support Unit—Martin Lewis

Financial justice campaigner and Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has become a patron of the Personal Support Unit (PSU), a charity which supports people facing a civil or family court case without legal help.

The PSU operates across 24 civil and family courts in 19 cities across England and Wales; it has more than 700 trained volunteers who are matched with people facing a court case alone to provide free practical and emotional support.

Martin, a campaigner and journalist who is best known as the founder of financial advice website MoneySavingExpert.com, said: ‘The law is complex, that’s why we have lawyers. Yet there is a growing crisis within the civil courts that ordinary people are having to face court without being able to finance any form of legal representation. Cases such as parents struggling to gain access to see their children, people in poor health fighting to keep the benefits they need, or individuals overwhelmed by the court procedures and now in danger of losing their livelihood or home.’

‘People are being forced to represent themselves, even though most have a very limited understanding of the court system and the law. That is not a properly functioning legal system, and it makes you question whether they will get justice, when it matters most.

‘People need support and someone to stand by their side. This is why I am honoured to become a patron of the PSU—the charity that provides this support for free to thousands of people in the civil and family courts every year.’