The Gazette 1967/71

FREE LEGAL ADVICE CENTRES A lot of people need to consult a solicitor occas ionally, and many can't afford the normal fee. To help them, barristers, solicitors and law students have got together to man Free Legal Advice Centres throughout Dublin. Another will be opened in Rialto this month. Women needing help with marriage difficulties — often seeking a legal separation or maintenance — form a large proportion of their cases. Mary MacGoris finds out how the centres operate. Just the other day, in a case in the High Court, the legislation that free legal aid may be granted in "certain criminal cases" was upheld as con sonant with the Constitution. The litigant, there fore, who has a costly civil case is not, whatever his circumstances, entitled to State legal aid. Such people, however, need not suffer what they consider wrongs just because they can't afford civil actions. If they are in Dublin they can con sult one of the four Free Legal Advice Centres in the city. Open one night a week each, these currently cope with around 500 such cases per year. And another will be opened — in the Rialto district — this month. The centres, which are administered and run by law students with the full co-operation of the legal profession, started by offering only the advice promised in their title. But they were so well backed by the profession that now they are in a position to give court representation also if necessary. In fact, I was told by Denis McCullough who is a co-founder and current co-ordinator of the centres, the legal profession in Ireland prides itself that no-one need go unrepresented in court because of lack of money. If anyone in such case goes to the Law Library — the centre from which advocates operate — and asks for help, some barrister will represent him in court without pay ment But it is not everyone who realises this, or knows where the Law Library is (in the Four Courts) or has the courage to venture into a room pep pered With busy State Counsel. Because of this, almost three years ago, four young students decided that some system must be organised. Besides himself, now in his final

year at King's Inns, they were David Byrne, lan Candy and Vivian Lavan, who are all now bar risters. They started operations in Ozanam House, Mountjoy Square, where the St. Vincent de Paul Society loaned them two rooms. Later, they opened centres in Crumlin, Ballyfermot and Moles- worth Street. Many more students are now involved but, even more important, so are qualified and experienced practitioners. They have a voluntary roster of some 70 solicitors. They work on a rota basis, so that one is present at every session of each centre to com pliment the students' more sketch knowledge of the law. The willing co-operation of the solicitors is also the reason that they are able to offer represen tation as well as advice, in cases where it is needed. Each centre, though, has its own director — a student — and its working is his or her own re sponsibility. One is, in fact, a woman — Mrs. Sue Denham, who is also in her final King's Inns year. Most of their cases are about rent disputes and hire-purchase or matrimonial difficulties — with legal separations or maintenance or deserted wives well to the fore recently. In Ballyfermot, though, they deal with a great many accident cases, chiefly because so many children there get involved in traffic accidents. They do not — as yet, anyway — go in for any thing in nature of a means test, but they do not think their system has been abused. In any case they say they would prefer to be cheated once or twice than that many should suffer from lack of money. What do students themselves get out of this expenditure of time, trouble and knowledge? Possibly a little extra experience in their pro fession. But their main concern is that long standing principle of the Law — that Justice may be done and be seen to be done.

(Irish Independent 3rd March 1971).

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