HLC hosted an Open Afternoon & Reception on the 20th August 2019 for all stakeholders so as to relaunch its services and update on the impact of limited funding has had on the current status of Law Centers generally but more specifically HLC. It is important that HLC be responsive to the current financial climate and consider a new model in order to survive and strive for sustainability. HLC’s current funders are very supportive and are guiding on ways to secure new and additional funding as well as facilitating partnerships. The event was well received and attended. The speakers at the event were The Mayor of Haringey, Cllr S. Peacock; Mr Alastair Collett (representing City of London Solicitors); Cllr Ruth Gordon; Poppy Thomas (Commissioning Officer, Housing Related Support- LBH); Mrs O. Walter (Chairperson of HLC).
On Thursday the 1st of March 2018 between 9.30am and 1pm, Haringey Law Centre, in partnership with Hackney Community Law Centre, will be delivering community legal training on how to represent people at Disability Benefits Appeals. The session will be held at the Selby Centre, Selby Road, Tottenham, N17 8JL.
The training is aimed at Haringey based “intermediary” organisations working with or supporting at least one person/client/family living in the Northumberland Park ward area. Examples of “intermediary” organisations are: tenants’ support organisations, refugee groups, faith organisations, women’s support groups, local community groups, mental health workers, local advice agency staff and volunteers, local councillors and so on.
Please find below a flyer with more information on how to book your place.You can also download a printable version of the flyer HERE.
On Thursday the 1st of February 2018 between 9.30am and 1pm, Tottenham based Wilsons Solicitors will be delivering community legal training on how to help people with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds‘ restrictions (because of their immigration status). The session will be held at the Selby Centre, Selby Road, Tottenham, N17 8JL.
The training is aimed at Haringey based “intermediary” organisations working with or supporting at least one person/client/family living in the Northumberland Park ward area. Examples of “intermediary” organisations are: tenants’ support organisations, refugee groups, faith organisations, women’s support groups, local community groups, mental health workers, local advice agency staff and volunteers, local councillors and so on.
Please find below a flyer with more information on how to book your place.You can also download a printable version of the flyer HERE.
The LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards recognise and celebrate achievement in legal pro bono undertaken by organisations and individuals and the dedication and commitment of the legal sector to positively impact individuals and communities. This year’s awards ceremony was held on Tuesday 5th December 2017 at the Law Society in Chancery Lane, London. It was hosted by the BBC’s Paddy O’Connell, with the event’s keynote lecture and awards presentation being given by Hilarie Bass, President of the American Bar Association.
The Haringey Law Centre/Debevoise and Plimpton Disability Benefits Appeals project beat nine other shortlisted projects to win the ‘Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership’ award (read more about the project and our shortlisting HERE) . The judges commended Haringey Law Centre staff and the Debevoise and Plimpton volunteers for being “both inventive and resilient” and for providing “a high quality much-needed service for local people”.
(Photo Credit: Matt Cetti-Roberts)
Reacting to the news that we had won the award, Haringey Law Centre Manager Victor Amadigwe; Development Officer Miranda Grell;and the Project’s Law Centre Co-ordinator Chris Papaloizou said: “We are thrilled to have won this award and are very grateful to Debevoise for helping us to run the Disability Benefits Appeals project at Haringey Law Centre. The project is helping our clients to regain the dignity they deserve, as well as bring our Law Centre back to life. Haringey Law Centre has been through a very difficult time over the past few years but receiving this award is yet another positive step back on the road to a thriving Law Centre in Haringey.”
Julie Pickworth, a volunteer lawyer from Debevoise and Plimpton LLP (who attended the awards ceremony with colleagues and fellow project volunteers Peter Bates and Charles Low), said: “We are delighted to receive this award. It’s a fantastic partnership. We’ve worked very closely together. We’ve been successful for our clients and the Law Centre has been tremendously supportive of Debevoise’s contribution. This project has truly benefited all of Debevoise and Plimpton’s lawyers – from the trainees through to the partners”.
Emma Rehal-Wilde, Pro Bono Manager at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP (pictured above with Law Centres Network Director Julie Bishop and Haringey Law Centre’s Victor Amadigwe at our first meeting to discuss the project in November 2016)said:
“In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have won “Most Effective Partnership” at the LawWorks’ Pro Bono Awards, because there wouldn’t be a need for Debevoise and Haringey Law Centre (HLC) to partner on a disability welfare benefits project. But the reality is that Haringey is an area of huge need, where many go without legal support and advice because of a serious lack of law centres and legal advisors. Consequently, HLC services a geographical area far larger than its resources allow.
The welfare benefits project between Debevoise and HLC is, therefore, an important step towards addressing this need. I am very happy that Debevoise and HLC won the award, because it recognizes the hard work and dedication of the lawyers and staff of both organizations, who have worked tirelessly to make the project work for Haringey residents. I am immensely proud to be part of the project, and am honoured to be able to work with the committed HLC staff.”
Our achievement was also celebrated by Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, Head of Policy and Profile at the Law Centres Network (pictured above celebrating with Miranda Grell), who said: “This award celebrates a wonderful collaboration that helps the people of Haringey take action against injustice. Not only does it secure the livelihood of sick and disabled people, but it flies in the face of unfair welfare reform and legal aid cuts. Coming at a tough time, Debevoise support has helped the Law Centre turn a corner, and we are proud of all they have achieved together.”
Haringey Law Centre would like to formally thank Debevoise and Plimpton LLP, particularly Pro Bono Manager Emma Rehal-Wilde and Partner Geoff Burgess, without whom this project would not have happened. We also wish to thank Cllr Lorna Reith, local councillor for Tottenham Hale ward, who wrote a statement in support of our nomination. A special thank you also to Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of LawWorks; James Sandbach, Head of Policy at LawWorks and all the team at LawWorks for their hard work in organising the awards. We extend our warmest congratulations to all the other 2017 award winners and finalists.
BREAKING NEWS: We are delighted to announce that at the 2017 LawWorks Pro Bono Awards, which took place at The Law Society on the evening of Tuesday the 5th of December 2017, Haringey Law Centre and Debevoise and Plimpton LLP, won the 2017 LawWorks Pro Bono Award for ‘Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership’!!!!
LawWorkshas published the full list of all the 2017 award winners HERE and the Law Centres Network has hot-off-the-press reaction HERE.***Full Haringey Law Centre reaction to follow!***
Haringey Law Centre is delighted that our fantastic volunteer Farhad Ali has won the 2017 Haringey Hero (Volunteer) of the Year award!!!!
On Friday 24th November 2017, Farhad attended the awards ceremony of the Haringey Community Impact Awards, which took place in Tottenham Town Hall. The Haringey Community Impact Awards are held annually to celebrate grassroots community groups and voluntary organisations in the borough who have combined effective community service with innovative and sustainable practices to improve the lives of Haringey residents. Special consideration is given to groups or organisations who have overcome limited resources and involved volunteers in the delivery of activities to address significant disadvantages.
Farhad Ali (pictured above at the awards with Peter Baker, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Haringey) has volunteered with Haringey LC since 2014. Farhad comes from Kurdistan in the North of Iraq. During the Iraqi civil war, when he was 18, Farhad was shot by Iraqi soldiers and left paralysed from the waist down. Medical treatment in Kurdistan was unsuccessful and so Farhad’s family raised money for him to come to Europe to see if doctors here could help him. Farhad went to France and while he was there he was interviewed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Farhad had a cousin in the United Kingdom and so decided to apply to come here as a refugee. After hearing what happened to him in Kurdistan, the Home Office approved Farhad’s visa and he came to the UK in December 2002.
When he arrived in the UK, Farhad couldn’t speak a word of English but being bright and ambitious – and despite the horror he’d experienced in Kurdistan – he enrolled himself on an ESOL course at the College of North East London. Farhad did so well on the course that his teachers suggested he try and pass the ‘English for Academic Purposes’ course (the equivalent of a GCSE). Farhad passed with flying colours and then enrolled onto a university access course. He studied ‘Access to Law’ at Waltham Forest College (the equivalent of an A level) and passed. He then went on to study for his Law Degree at Middlesex University after receiving offers from 3 different universities.
Farhad then decided he wanted to give something back to the UK and started volunteering with Haringey Law Centre in October 2014. Since then, Farhad has become an integral and valued member of our team. Still only a volunteer, Farhad’s responsibilities are wide and varied. He does everything from staffing reception and dealing with phone enquires. He conducts complex client interviews and undertakes legal work assisting Haringey Law Centre’s solicitors and caseworkers to draft letters and documents and prepare legal bundles. Farhad is now also studying for a qualification that will allow him to advise on immigration law matters. Haringey Law Centre has no doubt that Farhad will become a brilliant solicitor.
Farhad was presented with his award by Cllr Eugene Ayisi, Cabinet Member for Communities. WATCH the exciting moment Farhad was presented with his award.
Haringey Law Centre trustee Ruth Hayles, Development Officer Miranda Grell and Farhad’s brother Kamaran attended the awards to support Farhad and celebrate his achievement with him.
Reacting to the news he won the award, Farhad Ali said: “I feel so happy and I am so proud. My volunteer work at Haringey Law Centre has been appreciated and recognised. It helps me to feel more optimistic about my future because I want to be a solicitor. I particularly want to be an immigration solicitor because I know how difficult and stressful it can be for people fleeing persecution and trying to come to the UK. Many of them have nothing. They are just trying to survive. As an immigration solicitor, I will be able to try and them people’s lives better. I wilkl be able to fight for them to help them obtain their status. I will be able to help them to try and make their dreams come true“.
Haringey Law Centre Manager Victor Amadigwe said: “It’s amazing. I am very pleased. Over the past three years, Farhad has been a dedicated and reliable Haringey Law Centre volunteer. He is keen and hardworking. Despite the many personal challenges he has faced, Farhad has shown that there is no barrier to his ambitions to be independent and of service to his local community. He has shown that people can still make it. The award is also great encouragement and a boost to morale to everyone at Haringey Law Centre. We can only run our service thanks to our volunteers. We hope that Farhad’s award will encourage other wonderful Haringey residents like him to come forward and join us as a volunteer”.
Congratulations to Farhad and to all the other brilliant winners at the 2017 Haringey Community Impact awards!!!!!
Haringey Law Centre is delighted to announce that our Disability Benefits Appeals Project, delivered pro bono by volunteers lawyers from Debevoise and Plimpton LLP (https://www.debevoise.com/) has been shortlisted for a 2017 LawWorks Annual Pro Bono award!
The LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards recognise and celebrate achievement in legal pro bono undertaken by organisations and individuals and the dedication and commitment of the legal sector to positively impact individuals and communities.
This year’s awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday 5th December 2017 at the Law Society in Chancery Lane, London.
Haringey Law Centre and Debevoise and Plimpton’s Disability Benefits Appeals Project has been shortlisted in the ‘most effective pro bono partnership’ category.
Haringey Law Centre (HLC) is based in Tottenham, North London. It is the last Law Centre standing in the area after Enfield Law Centre closed in 2008 and Barnet Law Centre in 2014. In April 2016, HLC almost closed. HLC’s staff and volunteers, the majority of whom are local people, were so heartbroken at the idea of the community losing the Law Centre that they stayed on as unpaid volunteers. This included HLC’s welfare benefits caseworker Chris Papaloizou whom, despite receiving no salary, continued to advise disabled Haringey residents on their legal entitlement to Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). HLC’s difficult circumstances continued for most of 2016. However, in late November 2016, Emma Rehal-Wilde, pro bono manager at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP, visited HLC and asked how Debevoise could help.
On hearing about HLC’s plight in more detail, Emma immediately suggested that Debevoise assist HLC to keep a disability benefits service going. Emma took this idea back to Debevoise’ partners who agreed to support the project and in February 2017, 19 Debevoise lawyers at all levels of seniority, ranging from trainee to international counsel to partner, came forward to volunteer with the project. Those 19 lawyers represent almost a fifth of the lawyers based at Debevoise’ London office.
The project works like this: Debevoise lawyers attend HLC’s office in Tottenham during working hours to conduct full and comprehensive interviews with Haringey residents – many of whom do not speak English as their first language and many of whom are in a great deal of pain and distress. The lawyers then prepare detailed written submissions in advance of the client’s tribunal hearing and then accompany them and represent them at their appeals. In the short while that the project has been operating (as a pilot due to no funding) its impact has been substantial.
To date, Debevoise lawyers have undertaken 420 hours of pro bono work for HLC’s disabled clients amounting to the equivalent of over £215,000 of billable hours. This effort has borne positive fruit with Debevoise so far helping to overturn 11 negative benefits entitlement decisions – an 83% success rate – with more cases pending. This is an incredible achievement for lawyers whose specialism is not welfare benefits and whom had never advised on any disability benefits matters prior to attending the HLC project training meeting in February 2017.
The project is not intended to replace a full-time welfare benefits service at Haringey Law Centre however. Rather, it aims to highlight HLC’s desperate need to be funded properly again. This is again where Debevoise has excelled in the level of support it has given to HLC. Unlike other pro bono projects which only supply volunteers, Debevoise has also provided HLC with funding to train the project’s volunteers. Thanks to Debevoise, Haringey Law Centre’s Chris Papaloizou is able to be paid one day a week.
Haringey Law Centre is extremely grateful to Debevoise and Plimpton LLP and looks forward to celebrating its lawyers’ immense pro bono commitment to Haringey and the residents of Haringey at the 2017 LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards ceremony on the 5th of December!
