HCLC News

On Wednesday June 19th 2013, at a special awards ceremony at the Royal College of Surgeons, our ‘Dalston Pop-Up’, our dedicated evening debt and consumer law advice service, in partnership with BPP Law School; Debevoise and Plimpton LLP; Faegre Baker Daniels LLP; Law Works; and the London Borough of Hackney Libraries Service, won the Law Works Pro Bono Award 2013 for 'Best Partnership in Pro Bono'!!!!

 

We were also delighted that Rebecca Greenhalgh, Pro Bono from Debevoise and Plimpton LLP, won the 'Highly Commended award  in ‘Best contribution by a pro bono coordinator‘ category.

 

The Law Works Pro Bono Awards celebrate the best legal pro bono activities undertaken by organisations and individuals and the positive impact they have had on those helped. This is the second award the Dalston Pop-Up service has won this year.  

 

In May, the service won the inaugural Halsbury Legal Award 2013 in the 'Pro Bono Team of Year category'. Everyone at Hackney Community Law Centre is delighted and extremely grateful to all of our partners at BPP, Debevoise and Plimpton, Faegre Baker Daniels, and the London Borough of Libraries service for making Dalston Pop-Up possible.

 

From L-R: Laurence Hanesworth, Student Director of the Dalston Pop-Up at BPP Law School; Rebecca Greenhalgh, Pro Bono Manager at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP; Miranda, Grell, Development Officer, Hackney Community Law Centre; and Stephen Llewellyn, Counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, collect the award from Lucy Scott-Moncrieff, President of the Law Society (pictured centre).

 

HCLC Chair Ian Rathbone said: "Reaching out to people in the community has become an important priority for us and we have found many grateful people coming to the Dalston pop up advice clinic and getting help. "And we could not have done this without our partners Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, BPP Law School, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, who have shown immense understanding and enthusiasm for the clinic. They deserve the recognition the award brings because they have set out to do their best for the people of a deprived borough like Hackney. Our team too have had to change the way they do things in some regards, and have readily accepted the experimental and innovative nature of it, having set the vision. I am proud of their achievement in the face of all the difficulties of managing a service under attack from legal aid cuts."

 

He added: "Rebecca Greenhalgh from Debevoise and Plimpton LLP has been outstanding in her contribution to the Dalston Pop-Up service. We can always rely on her to find people who can fit in with our service requirements and maintain a high standard of advice and legal help for people. She is key to the success of the service."

 

HCLC Solicitor Diane Morrison said: "The Dalston Pop-Up has come a long way from the debt training evening we attended in October 2012. This shows what can be done with resourcefulness and determination to do good where it is needed. There were definitely teething problems and apprehension over the potential administration. Attention was definitely paid to the needs of the Law Centre and the Dalston Pop-Up Partnership have more than delivered and to be publicly acknowledged twice in less than a year is a very fitting accolade.  Thanks to the Partnership for the support it continues to give us and the people who use it!"

 

Lord Goldsmith QC, chair of European and Asian litigation at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, said “Debevoise & Plimpton has a long history of working with Hackney Community Law Centre, and everybody involved is incredibly proud our revamped advice clinic is proving a success. Although the award recognises the pro bono work of volunteer lawyers and students at the clinic, we in turn wish to recognise just how crucial Hackney Community Law Centre is in enabling our pro bono work to take place. The Law Centre’s dedicated, hardworking staff and volunteers place it at the heart of the local community, and the Dalston Pop-Up Advice Clinic could not exist without it.” Please see a selection of photos from the awards ceremony below:  Sean Canning, HCLC Manager and Miranda Grell, HCLC Development Officer celebrate winning the award.  Miranda attends every session of Dalston Pop-Up, which takes place every Tuesday evening at Dalston CLR James library, to welcome clients and answer any general queries.  She also works closely with Rebecca Greenhalgh from Debevoise and Plimpton to check letters written to and on behalf of the Pop-Up's clients.

Dalston Pop-Up's student director Laurence Hanesworth (above).  Laurence has worked tirelessly to co-ordinate BPP's student volunteers who operate the Dalston Pop-Up phone line and attend Tuesday evening clinic appointments with the volunteer lawyers.

Laurence receives magnificent support from the excellent tutors and supervising solicitors at BPP Law School's Pro Bono Centre, Laura Rowland (pictured above left); Diana Kirsch (pictured above second from left); and Jessica Austen (pictured first from right). L-R: Natalia Rymaszewska, Deputy Director of the London Legal Support Trust (LLST); Sean Canning, HCLC Manager; Miranda Grell, HCLC Development Officer; Bob Nightingale, Director, London Legal Support Trust. LLST has been extremely supportive of HCLC's work over recent years. LLST part-funded HCLC's Development Officer role, which enabled  HCLC with the capacity to make a full contribution to getting Dalston Pop-Up up and running.

On behalf of the whole Dalston Pop-Up team: Thank you so much for your support!!!!!