In the final few days of our campaign to ask barristers to opt into donating £35 or more to Advocate during practising renewal, our Western Circuit caseworker, Louis, shares his frontline reflections on the impact of barristers’ support for Advocate’s work.
The people who come to Advocate for help are often in their most desperate hour of need. They face cases that are challenging, both legally and emotionally. Only recently, a volunteer barrister agreed to assist a young mother recovering from a cancer diagnosis who was facing repeated applications for contact arrangements with her children from her abusive ex-partner. Having a barrister on her side to help her navigate this was absolutely vital.
The response that we receive when barristers agree to work on our cases is, at times, overwhelming. I continually read expressions of gratitude from people across the region that is humbling.
I’ve seen barristers go above and beyond to help people. In one professional disciplinary case, a barrister agreed to represent a doctor before a five-day tribunal. Equally, in a complicated family case, I’ve seen barristers from different chambers working with each other to provide ongoing support to vulnerable people.
A highlight of my role is to see barristers who have not only made a real difference to our help seekers, but have embraced a secondary specialism, become immersed in our work, and keep coming back for more cases. In particular, I recall a second-six pupil who has been praised by our senior reviewers for throwing themselves into a SEND tribunal case. They received mentoring support from a Specialist Education barrister based on Circuit, provided excellent written advice, and are now working with pro bono solicitors. The opportunity to work with other barristers covering different specialisms in different chambers to the benefit of those most in need captures the spirit of the work that we do here at Advocate.
We are embedded into the pro bono ecosystem across Circuit. We receive referrals from all kinds of support organisations, from Newport on the Isle of Wight to Truro in Cornwall, in cases that raise interesting and novel points of law. It’s essential that we have excellent local barristers to work with and support us so that we can continue to provide help to people who have nowhere else to turn.
Despite all the good work that we do, the need on Circuit is growing and there are many deserving cases where we cannot find willing counsel. Through your continued support during practising renewal, we can build on our work and help more people in real need. Thank you.
- - Louis, Western Circuit Caseworker
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