| Our latest column in the law society messenger | Advocacy and self-advocacy in Manchester: Empowering ourselves and strengthening each other | Could you join our welfare benefits team? | This Christmas give the gift of free access to justice |
“I have been lucky to meet truly dedicated and inspirational people sacrificing their free time and efforts.“
Our latest column in the law society messenger
This month, GMLC volunteer Alex McColl writes about what drives him as an aspiring barrister pursuing a career in social welfare and human rights law.
“Those pursuing the social welfare career path do not tend to be motivated by money or prestige. I have been lucky to meet some truly dedicated and inspirational people sacrificing a lot of their free time and efforts.
“What made me first want to study law is the same thing that makes me want to succeed in becoming a social welfare lawyer: we live in a society which does not value the economically vulnerable. Those who are vulnerable or in need of help are targeted by government policies because they put up the least resistance. Those who advise them have their funding removed. Social welfare and human rights law are important tools for empowering individuals to challenge the position the government put them in, and this is why governments are so hostile to them.”
GMLC is a campaign for free access to justice. Supporting the next generation of social welfare lawyers is an essential part of this campaign. Read Alex’s full article in the law society messenger.
Advocacy and self-advocacy in Manchester: Empowering ourselves and strengthening each other
We work to empower our community and we welcome opportunities to use our advocacy experience as a resource for others. We were therefore pleased to attend and support an event hosted by the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People on “Advocacy and self-advocacy in Manchester: Empowering ourselves and strengthening each other”.
Read more about our welfare benefits campaigning.
Could you join our welfare benefits team?
Our fantastic welfare benefits casework volunteers have achieved:
- Successfully challenging the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for demanding £30,000 in benefits repayments from a person falsely classified as having no leave to remain by the Home Office
- Representing a person who had been fined for failing to notify the DWP of a change in their circumstances by successfully proving that the DWP were in fact aware of the change
- Winning an 8 month battle for a person denied benefits on basis of a physiotherapist’s assessment, when their difficulties were actually caused by mental health conditions
- Recovering over one million pounds in benefits for people in Greater Manchester since we opened in 2016
Could you join our casework team, or do you know someone who could?
Two years’ experience providing specialist level welfare benefits casework is essential.
Find more details, application forms and other volunteer roles here.
This Christmas give the gift of free access to justice
Legal advice is a vital tool to help people out of homelessness. Many people who are forced to sleep on the streets become homeless because of unresolved legal problems, such as evictions by rogue landlords, unlawful benefit decisions, unmet care needs and being wrongly turned away when they seek homelessness assistance from the Council.
Our many volunteers and staff care passionately for the rights of this community and you can help, as well as tick off a number of gifts off your Christmas shopping list.
A unique way to give… and to give again this Christmas!
Here is a unique way to think of your loved ones this Christmas and at the same time help us to provide the support people need.
We are a law centre run by the community, for the community. This means we need your support. If you have a fundraising idea, let us know at development@gmlaw.org.uk. Please consider making an individual donation by clicking here.
4 things you can do to help Greater Manchester Law Centre
- You can donate and/or set up a standing order to help fund our key legal services
- Get involved by either volunteering, becoming a member, a supporter, or if you are an organisation, you can affiliate with us. Go to the Get involved tab on the home page.
- For those of you on Twitter, follow us, RT or quote us and hashtag #WhyWeNeedGMLC or #FreeAccesstoJustice. If you are on fb follow our page and share our posts.
- Ask for a letter of support from your local councillor/MP/community organisation/trade union branch and send it in to us.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest GMLC news.
All the very best,
Greater Manchester Law Centre (GMLC)
Phone 0161 769 2244 | Email development@gmlaw.org.uk
GMLC is run by the community for the community and your contributions are vital in securing key, free face-to-face advice and representation services as well as for fighting together for free access to justice.
