Boardman Hawkins & Osborne are delighted to be taking part in this year’s Great Legal Bake Off, organised by the Access to Justice Foundation.
We are able to nominate our fundraising to go to local advice charities, so anything we raise today is going to two legal advice charities on our doorstep: Abingdon Citizens Advice and http://www.flagdv.org.uk/Flag DV.
Abingdon Citizens Advice is open 5 days a week, and also operates a drop in service at the new children’s centre in Abingdon, Abingdon Carousel. They offer free advice and help for all sorts of legal and dispute resolution and debt and welfare benefits related problems, and offer a vital service to people who otherwise would not be able to access help in these areas. They are also able to signpost those people onto other available services.
Flag DV are based in Newbury, and are a charity mostly staffed by volunteers who offer free legal advice in family law related matters, from qualified lawyers, to the victims of domestic abuse. Emily, Irena and I have long been associated with Flag DV, and indeed our two consultants Nel and Helen have previously been Trustees, and Irena is now a Trustee of the charity. Many of our lawyers have and do volunteer with Flag DV. It is a particularly valuable service, in that users can access legal advice regardless of their means, and without having to obtain the often cumbersome proof of domestic abuse that is needed in order to access legal aid. In this area, where often people have larger mortgages and/or equity tied up in their homes, which might mean they are NOT eligible for legal aid, to be able to obtain some quality advice from a lawyer, when they need it the most, is so important.
We are really pleased that we can support such vital local services, and build upon our links with both of these organisations.
So if you’re passing 1-3 Ock Street on Wednesday 27th February, call in, and see what takes your fancy? We have lemon drizzle cake, scones, flapjacks, cupcakes, strawberry cakes, and all sorts!
Ruth Hawkins, Partner