Legal advice talks for community groups - Solicitors' Pro Bono Group

Soliciotrs' Pro Bono Group Chief Executive Sue Bucknall explains:

An exciting new initiative of LawWorks for Community Groups is our practical advice talks especially designed for community groups. The aim of the talks is to not only give community groups basic legal advice but to also bring to their awareness legal issues that they need to consider.

Our first talk was given in partnership with Ealing Voluntary Service Council (EVSC) at their offices. Our chosen topic was employment law as this seems to be a popular area and is also very fast moving its hard enough for the lawyers to keep up to date let alone a small community group!

We were very fortunate to have two excellent speakers, Lucy Baldwinson and Clare Norriss. Both Lucy and Clare provided practical examples of issues that the groups may face including: maternity rights, sick pay, the respective employment rights of volunteers and employees, work permits etc.

The talk set alarm bells in the heads of the audience so that when faced with similar issues they would immediately realise that legal advice was needed or at the very least that they needed to proceed with caution. Everyone seemed to find the talk extremely useful and many headed back to their offices to check a few points in their staff handbooks!!

We are planning further talks in the future and would welcome any suggestions as to topics and volunteers to give the talks too!

A huge thank you to Usma Raja from EVSC, Lucy Baldwinson, Clare Norriss, Andy Roper (Chief Executive EVSC) and Clare Gardiner.