Friends of Greater Manchester Law Centre

Manchester needs a law centre. If people are committed then there will be a new law centre, owned by the community and providing high quality legal representation – for free.

In Greater Manchester there were eight law centres. Now just two remain. The city of Manchester itself which had three has become a law-centre-free zone. The Government wants to prevent access to justice and does so most effectively by removing the advice agencies that can deliver that access to those most in need.

Early this year a group of legal aid lawyers, trade unionists and community advice organisations came together to try to start up a community law centre for Greater Manchester. The structure of the centre is planned to enable people to use their political voices to campaign for change and have access to free legal advice and representation for people in Greater Manchester who could not otherwise afford it. Volunteers will be the backbone of this law centre.

So far:
• A public meeting to launch the law centre was held on Tuesday 31 March 2015. Over 50 people attended and endorsed the proposal, the business plan and set up a ‘Friends’ of a Greater Manchester Law Centre
• A constitution has been drawn up which is being submitted to Companies House and the Charity Commission
• The inaugural AGM will be held on Tuesday 8 September at 6.30

The next step is to apply for money to employ a Development Worker in the first year and to find city centre premises where volunteers can start to be organised and before long to provide advice and take up the necessary policy and campaigning issues.

If you want to help establish the law centre there are a number of things you can do
1. Become a friend of GM Law Centre by completing the attached form
2. Donate – in cash or by cheque payable to Access to Advice
3. Get involved

For further information, contact Paul Im Thurn at: [email protected] or John Nicholson at: [email protected].