Greenwich Citizens Advice Go's Live

Instant Law & LawWorks Partner to increase access

Instant Law UK & Law Works the legal Pro-Bono Charity have partnered to increase access to clients who fall outside the Legal Aid Eligibility rules or who are not in a position to access or funds representation.

LawWorks is a national charity which aims to provide free legal help through pro bono assistance to individuals and community groups who cannot afford to pay for it and who are unable to access legal aid.

In the last year LawWorks helped provide free legal advice to over 45,000 people and around 350 voluntary sector organisations. We work with just over 100 member law firms and teams of in-house counsel, as well as mediators, law students and solicitors who have been made redundant.

Instant Law UK have added the Law Works service and link to its Library on-line service. The Instant Law UK solicitors will also now be in a position to advise clients and were appropriate refer them onto LawWorks.

Direct Public Access- Can Lawyers deliver?

Direct Public Access – Can lawyers deliver?

 Ian Dodd: Business development Director:

The legal regulatory bodies have made it easier for both solicitors and barristers to engage directly with members of the public to provide open and transparent services. Can, though, the establishment make things even easier and overcome the inhibitions and suspicions some of their prospective clients have about the legal profession?

Despite trying and, in some cases, succeeding, to make it easier for lawyers to talk to ordinary folk there does seem to remain a reluctance from Mr and Mrs Public to take their legal problems to those best equipped to solve them.

For many, lawyers seem distant, unapproachable, stuffy, judgemental, intimidating   and, above all, expensive. Some lawyers, though, have gone a long way to ensure that their websites are easily accessible, their high street offices welcoming, their staff down-to-earth and their prices reasonable; though these are in the minority, it seems. There are also some lawyers who don’t want to have ordinary folk as their clients and deliberately discriminate against them and market to the monied middle classes.

Solicitors can find it easier to appeal to and accommodate direct public access clients. Their locations, business plans, experience and general ease-of-use work in their favour. The Bar, however, have a bigger problem. Their offices (or chambers as they will continue to call them) are not, normally, found in that part of town members of the general public frequent. Their tradition and experience is dealing with professional clients. Many don’t have manned reception areas, have inadequate waiting areas and insufficient conference rooms where private discussions can take place. The Bar is also having problems coming to terms with the necessity and mechanism of the ‘up-front’ payment direct public access necessarily demands.

Naturally, the market responds to these opportunities and challenges and there are a growing number of entrepreneurial businesses trying to ensure that it’s as easy as possible for members of the public to make contact with lawyers. These are, mainly, web-based and offer on-line or telephone access to solicitors or barristers with user-friendly and transparent pricing.

All of the above suffer from the same inherent problem; it’s hard for members of the public to find them.

Solicitors’ offices and barristers’ chambers can be hard to find and opening hours and appointment-making might be inconvenient, especially during the working day when it could be hard for a potential direct public access client to get out of work. Some legal businesses are open on Saturday mornings though their, normally, city centre locations can be equally inconvenient for a suburban or country dweller.

Web sites make the search easier, of course, though some degree of knowledge about what to enter into the search engine is needed and, unless the site owner has worked on web site-optimisation, it could be a long and fruitless search.

The easiest way to encourage and allow members of the public to access and use legal services must, surely, be to take those services to them in places they visit regularly or can get to with.

Indeed, there are some solicitors’ businesses who have a presence in public places such as shopping centres and there are others who have dedicated, high street shop-fronts looking more like a shop than a solicitors.

Taking this a logical step further Instant Law are installing private, secure booths or working areas in public libraries up and down the country so that members of the public can, at their convenience and without an appointment, talk to a lawyer and get advice.

Using unique, state-of-the-art video conferencing software and an easy to use, on-screen start page a member of the public can see and speak to a lawyer and, at the end of a 20 or 30 minute, free, initial consultation, will know if they have a case which can be progressed, what the next moves might be and, more importantly, how much it is all liable to cost.

This service is becoming increasingly popular with libraries and a growing number are incorporating it in the wide range of public services they offer to their users.

This democratisation of direct public access is, through public libraries, reaching a wide audience. Birmingham Central Library, for example, has a foot-fall of about 4 million/year and the Paradise Shopping Centre, to which it is attached has a foot-fall of 3 million/week.

Large conurbations, such as Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, have about a million people a year using them. There are about 3500 public libraries in the country and they, like every other business, are looking for innovative ways to encourage people to use them and their growing list of services.

Maybe initiatives like Instant Law teaming up with public libraries is one way that the legal profession can widen their appeal and offer members of the public services at their convenience and on their terms?

Ian Dodd:

idodd@ian-network.co.uk     (07766365412)

Before joining Instant Law UK Ian spent six years running a major Chartered Surveying business, which was an introduction to professional services and the last ten years being a CEO in barristers' chambers and forming a start-up Alternative Business Structure. Ian’s experience has given him a thorough understanding of the legal profession

Instant Law UK Launches In Islington

PRESS RELEASE

INSTANT LAW LAUNCHES IN ISLINGTON CENTRAL LIBRARY

Instant Law UK is teaming up with Islington Library and Heritage Services to launch Instant Law, the interactive, online legal advice service which is being rolled out in an increasing number of libraries throughout the country.

Library users will be able to get free legal advice directly from specialist lawyers via secure video-conferencing software. The dedicated computer screen will display an easy to use menu to help customers  select the area of advice they need which will offer a range of subjects including Immigration, Employment, Landlord & Tenant and Family as well as wide range of other legal, consumer and related matters . This initial consultation of up to 30 minutes is free to visitors to the library, who will be using unique, easy-to-use software and video conference call facilities developed by Instant Law UK.

Ian Dodd, Business Development Director at Instant Law UK said, “People can often find it difficult to fix a convenient appointment time to discuss their problems and some find solicitors’ premises rather intimidating. Providing this service through the library network overcomes these problems and provides a professional advice service. We’re delighted to be launching our first library terminal here in Islington in the heart of London. Islington Library and Heritage Services has shown its commitment to innovation with this move, and they join the initial six locations we have using the system.”

Cllr Janet Burgess said: “We have nearly 1.5 million visits a year to Islington’s libraries and we are committed to keeping our libraries open and developing the range of services we offer to the public. We’re excited to play host to the country’s first online legal service, which will give the public a new alternative access to legal information and advice.”

Instant Law’s free service is supported by people who go on to get paid for legal advice. This is delivered by local lawyers so that if face-to-face meetings are required library customers won’t have to travel far.

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For further information contact John Smith on 020 7527 6922 or atjohn.smith@islington.gov.uk

Or  Ian Dodd on 07766 365412 or at idodd@ian-network.co.uk

“This service is invaluable".

Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureau

PRESS RELEASE

INSTANT LAW UK partners with GREENWICH  CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU to Launch a FREE video conferencing legal advice service from 13^th August 2012.

Instant Law UK is teaming up with (Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureaux Ltd) to launch Instant Law, the  interactive, online legal advice service which is being rolled out in an increasing number of libraries throughout the country.

Citizen Advice Bureau users and staff will be able to get free legal advice directly from specialist lawyers via secure video-conferencing software. The dedicated computer screen will display an easy to use menu to help customers  select the area of advice they need which will offer a range of subjects including Immigration, Employment, Landlord & Tenant and Family as well as wide range of other legal, consumer and related matters . This initial consultation is free to visitors to the library, who will be using unique, easy-to-use software and video conference call facilities developed by Instant Law UK.

Ian Dodd, Business Development Director at Instant Law UK said, “People can often find it difficult to fix a convenient appointment time to discuss their problems and some find solicitors’ premises rather intimidating. Providing this service in partnership with Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureau overcomes these problems and provides a professional advice service. We’re delighted to be partnering with Greenwich Citizens Advice has shown itself to be ground-breakingly innovative with this move and they join the other six locations we have using the system.”

(A quote From Traci Jenkins) – “This service is invaluable. These are challenging times where our local communities are facing ever increasing difficulties accessing free, quality legal advice. I am confident that this service will not only be an asset to the Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureaux, but will provide an alternative route for those in need of specialist legal advice”

Instant Law’s UK free service will be supported by on-going legal advice delivered by local lawyers so that if face-to-face meetings are required users won’t have to travel far.

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For further information contact Ian Dodd on 07766 365412 or at idodd@ian-network.co.uk

Traci Jenkins Greenwich Citizens Advice Bureaux Ltd : 0208 855 7472

Free Video Conf Legal Advice for Home Users

 Home Users & Business:

FREE video conferencing LEGAL ADVICE TRIAL


Following the Instant Law UK launch of its free video conferencing service in partnership with library services, we are now seeking to run a 2 months trial with Home users and SME.


The service will allow the service to be accessed from the users home or office. The users will access free face to face legal advice from solicitors, covering a range of legal subjects, including family, landlord & Tenant, Immigration, Employment, Business advice.


The service will start from 10.00am Monday 23rd^th July 2012.

To access the service simply visit www.instant-law.co.uk and register.

On registration the user will be able to access the service immediately.



The aim of the trial is to test the use of technology and how we can use it to open up access.


We only ask that user of the system provide us with feedback, allowing us to improve the service.



For further information contact: info@ian-network.co.uk

Brent Library Services extends solicitor led free legal advice service

Free interactive online legal service now available for Brent’s library users

Interactive online legal advice is now available at the Town Hall Library after Brent Council teamed up with Instant Law UK to launch the free service to library users.

Instant Law, which started on Friday (15 June), offers library users free legal advice directly from specialist lawyers via secure video-conferencing software. The dedicated computer screen will display an easy-to-use menu to help customers  select the area of advice they need including advice around immigration, employment, landlord and tenant, family, and consumer law and related matters . The initial consultation is free to visitors to the library, who will be using unique, easy-to-use software and video conference call facilities developed by Instant Law UK.

Instant Law will be available at the Town Hall Library from 10am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. The Town Hall Library is based in Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley.

Ian Dodd, Business Development Director at Instant Law UK, said: “People can often find it difficult to fix a convenient appointment time to discuss their problems and some find solicitors’ premises rather intimidating. Providing this service through the library network overcomes these problems and provides a professional advice service. We’re delighted to be launching our first library terminal here in the heart of London. Brent Council’s library service has shown itself to be innovative with this move and they join the other six locations we have using the system.”

Councillor James Powney, Brent Council’s Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhood Services, said: “Instant Law is an innovative addition to the range of services which Brent’s libraries offer the borough’s library users and residents and we’re excited to play host to this online legal service, which will help to improve residents’ access to legal information and advice. Not only are Brent’s libraries are now open seven days a week, but they’re continually improving their offer to users.”

Instant Law’s free service will be supported by ongoing legal advice delivered by local lawyers so that if face-to-face meetings are required library customers won’t have to travel far.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1.      For further information contact Ian Dodd on 07766 365 412 or at idodd@ian-network.co.uk