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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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