What kinds of things do you help with?

The issues vary and are wide-ranging - from someone in dispute with their landlord over noise issues to a leak in a building that's not being attended to.

 

We’ve helped people with how to file a complaint with the Housing Ombudsman or to tackle a problem with the Council that hasn't been remedied over several years. Sometimes problems are discrete, which other things are on-going and people will drop by over a number of weeks until we solve the problem.

 

Even though I focus on housing issues, somebody came in the other day with an issue relating to their car and because I have experience with finance issues and am a regulatory lawyer in my day job, I helped them understand their rights and how to bring any complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. That individual won and received a judgment that allowed her to return a defective vehicle.

 

If you were a commercial/corporate lawyer and wanted to get involved, how would you do it?

What I did was I called Kate Buchanan at ILAC and told her I had some housing experience from doing some pro bono work when I practiced in New York and that I was more than willing to do some training. I did a good amount of training online, which was provided by LawWorks because ILAC is part of its network, and then shadowed someone at the clinic.

 

Do you think that a commercial/corporate lawyer’s existing skills are helpful?

Absolutely. Much of the advice that’s needed is commercial in nature. Just last week I saw someone who had an issue with a company that was a contractual dispute, so I had to look through the terms and conditions in order to help.

 

The other day somebody needed CCTV footage for a case and the company was refusing to provide it. We helped them with the request and which words to use that would work better.

 

For a lawyer who's taking on a new area of law, what kind of training or supervision is available?

There are lawyers who come in with a skillset that they use in their day job, like employment or family, and you can ask them questions. In the situation where you learn a new area of law, there was a lot of training provided by LawWorks and I also accessed some through Visa’s resources. Visa has a very supportive culture of volunteering and community service. It is one of the reasons I love working there.

 

You have to try to be proactive and find ways to learn, and everybody's very helpful. There are also tons of letters and templates on charity websites like Crisis and Shelter, which I use all the time.

 

Do volunteer lawyers need insurance to take on this kind of work?

ILAC has its own insurance, so no, it’s all included and taken care of. Other clinics may have their own coverage or your work may be covered through LawWorks if you are a member, so just check with them directly.

 

What do you think might hold someone back from getting involved in this kind of work?

I think people are scared that they don't know enough or they're not a strong specialist in something, but you learn on the job and have incredible support with colleagues at ILAC.

 

I would encourage lawyers to try it – just go in, shadow people for a couple of weeks and see what it's like and what advice you're being asked for. I promise you that after a couple of times of sitting in and with your own independent work on getting up to speed on the relevant rules, you will be fine.

 

There are so many things that fall into the category of general legal or commercial knowledge that you can help with, because you will just know what to do.

 

What advice would you give an in-house lawyer who's just starting to explore pro bono?

The In House Pro Bono Group is a great place to start because it's an organisation that's very good at helping with resources and giving you access to people who have been where you are, so they can give you a lot of advice.

 

Or go to a legal clinic and get your foot through the door because that is the scariest part. You can also attend the next In House Pro Bono Day because you can do an hour or two and see the impact you have on an organisation. Pro bono events run by your panel law firms are also great.

 

I also highly recommend joining LawWorks. I don't think we at Visa would have created as robust a pro bono programme without LawWorks to package up matters and make things into discrete cases that people can work on in their spare time.

 

Is a moment from your pro bono work that's really stuck with you?

In one case I had a person who had a number of safety issues with a roommate. I helped her to deal with it because the landlord was related the roommate. I was able to negotiate a settlement and move her to a better, more safe location. She was thrilled with the service and the fact that she was able to get out of that terrible situation. She was a young student, didn't have a lot of money and this really put her back on the right track. Ironically, she was studying law, came from a background like mine, so I could see somebody who was in a similar situation as I had been in. I may have been just as excited that I could help her out!