The latest Today’s Family Lawyer podcast celebrates 25 years of legal support charity, Support Through Court.
Joining podcast host David Opie, are Emma Kiely, Service Manager for the charity’s Birmingham office, and Melanie Bataillard-Samuel, founder of MBS Family Law, current chair of Resolution and a dedicated fundraiser for the organisation.
With a dramatic rise in litigants in person navigating a complex and frequently hostile civil and family court landscape the charity has its work cut out. With little legal aid support ordinary individuals are being forced to handle life-altering court proceedings entirely on their own.
Support through Court offers practical, procedural, and emotional assistance, empowering vulnerable litigants by guiding them through administrative hurdles and offering human reassurance. The charity has a steady stream of passionate student volunteers gaining irreplaceable frontline legal experience through partnerships with institutions like Birmingham City University.
The work of the charity is compounded by the rise in “unbundled” legal services which allows lawyers to complete specific, component parts of a case to reduce client costs. But litigants in person still routinely fall through the cracks and Support Through Court is a “priceless” resource, much valued by the judiciary.
The podcast concludes with a call to action to continue fundraising and awareness efforts to protect a service facing unprecedented saturation.
The Today’s Family Lawyer podcast is available on your preferred podcast provider and at www.todaysfamilylawyer.co.uk.
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