Can you help LawWorks design a free legal support service for organisations that campaign for social change?
LawWorks is an access to justice charity that connects lawyers with individuals and organisations in need. Our Not-for-Profits Programme brokers free legal advice to small and medium-sized not-for-profit organisations in England and Wales. To date, this support has focused largely on the day-to-day practicalities of running an organisation, such as securing advice on property, commercial or employment contracts, dispute resolution, or intellectual property, tax, insolvency and data protection law. We also provide long-term, ongoing legal advice through our Honorary Counsel service.
However, many of those we support themselves help vulnerable and disadvantaged people, whose challenges can be the result of wider systemic issues. These pre-date and are wider than COVID-19 but the pandemic has exacerbated them, disproportionately affecting minoritised and marginalised groups. Small not-for-profits can struggle, in terms of size, infrastructure and resources, to respond to these wider challenges.
That’s why LawWorks is looking into providing free legal support for advocacy, awareness-raising, and campaigning, and the many ways in which a volunteer lawyer might be able to help you challenge structural or systemic obstacles. It is partially motivated by the Public Interest Law Alliance in Ireland and we are grateful for their inspiration.
Please complete our survey to help us understand the need for this kind of support and what the service might need to look like. It should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete.