Access to justice in the South West 2021

Access to justice in the South West 2021

Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 January
An event bringing together organisations using the law to help people experiencing disadvantage or discrimination in the South West and nationally.  The conference is split into short online sessions over three days with a mix of skills training, analysis and discussion. It is presented by Public Law Project in partnership with Plymouth University, University of Exeter Community Law Clinic, Plymouth Citizen’s Advice and Dorset Race Equality Council.

Tickets are £20 for the whole event.  If you do not have a training budget but want to attend, please e -mail Rinku Yunusa.

All of the sessions are recorded and will be circulated the  week after the event.

Programme:

Tuesday 26 January 9.30 – 11.00

Introduction
from Jo Hickman, Director, Public Law Project
Followed by…

How to use public law to help your clients

The aim of this seminar is to help people identify when a person or group of people are affected by the decision-making of a public body, and what they can do about it.  This involves identifying grounds of challenge and a potential remedy, which the speakers will do across a range of areas including, welfare benefits, immigration and housing and homelessness. The following session on funding will deal with making a good referral to an accessible legal aid provider:

Matt Ahluwalia, Garden Court Chambers
Carla Clarke, Child Poverty Action Group
Hannah Moxsom, Public Law Project
Daniel Rourke, Public Law Project

Tuesday 26^th January 14.00 – 15.30

Funding and referring cases

This session will primarily look at legal aid funding: What is in scope or out of scope, Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) and practicalities around whether there is a referral route for your client’s case.   The session will also look at making a referral attractive to a local or accessible legal aid provider. The session includes:

• Means regulations (The means test)
• Not taking on cases where there is funded legal assistance available
• Making an ECF application generally and in specific areas such as family, immigration or SEND
• Experience of law clinics in the South west

Rosie Brennan, Plymouth University
Emily Gent, Access Social Care
Emma Marshall, Exeter University and Public Law Project
Kate Pasfield, Legal Aid Practitioner Group

Wednesday 27^th January 9.30 – 11.00

Online courts and remote advice
COVID has accelerated the justice system’s move towards remote hearings and brought developments in remote advice provision into even sharper focus. This session will look at the issues and benefits across:

• The move to online courts
• Provision of remote advice and
• The Development of automated advice services such as chat bots

Eddie Coppinger, University House
Kari Gerstheimer, Access Social Care
Jo Hynes, Public Law Project
David Tulley, Plymouth Citizen’s Advice

Wednesday 27^th January 14.00 – 15.30

European Union Settled Status (EUSS)

This session will introduce the work of PLP’s national EUSS Hub and look at problems in the EUSS Scheme including:

• Delays in the scheme and how to challenge them
• Zambrano carers and their status
• Differences in treatment for individuals granted pre-settled status rather than settled status
• Digital only status
• Other public law issues in the EUSS scheme

Christine Brienne, Dorset Race Equality Council
Christian Davies, Public Law Project
Carla Mirallas Martinez, Bindmans LLP and Here for Good
Nisa Tanin, Coram Children’s Legal Centre

Thursday 28^th January 9.30 -11.00

 Discrimination challenges
The session will begin with a run-down of tools available to challenge discriminatory behaviour in public authorities. We will then look more closely at:

• Identifying discriminatory practices by public authorities including the police
• Identifying illegal issues and making complaints
• Discrimination claims in the County Court
• Discrimination claims arising in complex but common contexts
• Disability

Matthew Court ,Public Law Project
Audrey Ludwig, Suffolk Law Centre
Robyn Taylor, Deighton Pierce Glynn
Gus Silverman, Irwin Mitchell

11.45 – 12.45 Unconscious Bias training

This session will explore how our unconscious bias can lead to discrimination and exclusion of people. It will explore the differences between equality and equity and highlight the principles of anti-discriminatory practice.

Nathalie Sherring, Dorset Race Equalities Council
Sarah Burton, Public Law Project

Thursday 28^th January 14.00 – 15.30

Access to Justice – solutions

The last decade has seen extraordinary challenges for organisations providing specialist advice and legal representation, and for those seeking access to justice.  This session looks at undertaking and applying research on advice and legal service provision, and what solutions may be employed to improve access to justice both in the South West and nationally.
The session will cover:

• Evidencing advice provision in South West, mapping advice services and what evidence gathering looks like.
• Issues arising from people not getting advice
• Creative models for influencing and strategic litigation
• What should the MOJ be doing to assess need under the legal support action plan and provide support under section 2 of LASPO

Tia Matt, Director of Clinical Legal Education, University of Exeter
Chris Minnoch, Legal Aid Practitioners Group
Jacob Pritchard, Teignbridge CA
Laura Redman, Justice Together
Daniel Rourke, Public Law Project