The Future is Bright at MLC!

It is a time of new beginnings for Merseyside Law Centre. We have said farewell to a few members of our team who moved onto pastures new and we have welcomed fantastic, experienced and enthusiastic new members of staff to join us in our fight for access to justice. We have hired a new Housing/Social Welfare Case Worker Mark Casey and a new Triage Co-Ordinator Donna Sullivan. We are also welcoming a new Immigration Solicitor, Jo Bezzano.

Jo's background includes work in immigration and asylum law and specialising in advising and representing unaccompanied asylum seeking children. She previously worked for University of Liverpool in their Law Clinic and she worked three years as a lawyer in the Solomon Islands as well as working in the UK Department of International Development. We are so excited to welcome her into our team and for our clients to benefit from her extensive experience and passion for social justice.

The Kuumba Imani Centre is now our new home in central Liverpool. We have closed the doors to our Bold Street office after nearly 16 years. We are thrilled to have moved to L8, the original home of the incredible L8 Law Centre. We are so looking forward to being a part of such a vibrant community renowned for its engagement in social activism. We will still have a presence in Dovecot and our drop ins at Dovecot Mac will remain the same.

LJMU Project

We recently had a fantastic afternoon engaging with third sector and legal organisations across Liverpool at our Exceptional Case Funding Clinic information event held at the LJMU Redmond Building. Our trainee solicitor and Justice First Fellow Samantha Maher and LJMU’s Dr Michelle Waite led a very informative sessions about the vitally important work that ourselves and LJM Legal Advice Centre are about to embark upon with the clinic. They spoke about what we are offering through the ECF Clinic, the kinds of cases we can take, what may make a case suitable for ECF, and how to refer cases to us.

Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) is the type of legal aid that must be made available where there is a possibility that an individual’s human rights may be breached as they are unable to access legal advice or representation for several reasons. For many common legal problems, including most welfare benefits and family law cases, ECF is the only way in which an individual can access publicly funded legal support. The application process for this type of legal aid is lengthy and complex and as a result very few applications, outside of immigration law, are being made.

Therefore, LJMU Legal Advice Centre in conjunction with Merseyside Law Centre are now helping with making these applications in appropriate cases. We know from experience that there is a real societal need for this service and we hope to create positive change for our clients with this new venture.

Mondays at the Dovecot MAC

We are now holding drop-in sessions for Housing, Benefits and Asylum support at the Dovecot Multi Activity Centre on Mondays 10-12 as well as Thursdays 10-12. No appointment required!