A new year ahead

Going through court can be complex and intimidating. We spoke to Mark, who used our services, about how he felt about the support he received.

How did you feel before meeting with Support Through Court?

I hadn’t heard of your service before, not until I was submitting an application to go to court. I found the process confusing. It didn’t come with a lot of guidance, so I began Googling to find out what to do. Whilst I was searching, I found Support Through Court. I understood I could have a call and someone would help me find out what to do next, which was when I arranged the appointment. I spoke to a volunteer at that point. 

What sort of help did you get?

It was a couple of different things. The volunteer explained to me more around the type of form I needed to make my claim. I was going to get a 15 minute hearing, which they were able to talk through with me. He gave me some information about what to do and how to prepare for that session. He helped me think about preparing myself and presenting my point of view – what I wanted to do and what I believed to be the appropriate course of action.

How did this help?

The volunteer definitely helped to reassure me. I didn’t find going to court straightforward. Once the claim was raised and I was facing this big scary process, I felt I didn’t understand as much as I should understand. It’s not the fault of the court but I wasn’t confident about what I was faced with. Being able to talk to somebody was really reassuring. It was good to know a bit more about what I could do next, thinking about positive actions going forward. Facing the legal system as a litigant in person can be intimidating. This service is vital in helping individuals who are not legal experts to get the help they need to access the justice system.

Our holiday fundraising appeal is coming to an end this month, marking two months of non-stop fundraising in the name of families having access to justice. 

During this time, we are pleased to announce that we raised over £4,000!

Thank you to everyone that donated, spread the word about the appeal and our work, and helped plan it. 

With these funds, we'll be able to expand our reach and assist more clients than ever, helping families as they go through some of the most difficult and challenging times in their lives. 

If you didn't have the chance to donate, there's still time. It will close on the final day of January, so why not help us reach £5,000? 

Hosted by CMS, we're excited to announce our next online event, the Employment Law Breakfast on the 2 March. 

Our fantastic panel of speakers will be discussing the future of employment litigation post-Covid, followed by an invigorating panel discussion chaired by Anthony Fincham with guest speakers; 

• Sir Nick Green- Chair of the Law commission
• Judge Carol Taylor - Regional Employment Judge
• Mo Sethi QC - Barrister and Chair of the Employment Law Bar Association
• Richard Brown - Employment Partner at CMS
• Lizzie Iron – Support Through Court’s Head of Service 

'Until people come into contact with the legal system, they don't realise how expensive it is to exercise your legal rights.'

Towards the end of 2021, we were lucky enough to be included in a BBC Ideas short film about representing yourself in court. 

In conjunction with the Open University, one of our existing partners, our Head of Service Lizzie Iron, and volunteer Pauline Wilson, discussed the process of going through the civil courts alone and how our services can help. 

It's an interesting watch, detailing the cuts to legal aid since 2013 and how it has impacted litigants in person, through to the options available to them.

What are your new year's resolutions? Perhaps they include improving your fitness or setting yourself more challenges? 

If that's the case, consider signing up to one of our challenge events this year and work towards accomplishing your goals. 

Our London Marathon place is still open for a supporter to sign up for, so if you were successful in the ballot, do consider contacting us. 

Alongside this, we have a host of Challenge Everest events coming up from March onwards, and Court 2 Court cycles, with some of our biggest corporate supporters taking part in the name of enabling access to justice. 

Think you're ready for a challenge? Sign up to one of them below!

Hear from our volunteer, Adam, why he chose to join Support Through Court and the type of work he's involved in.

We can't wait to see what our volunteers get up to this year!

'There is a real concern about access to justice.'

Our London RCJ Service Manager, Georgina Sheeran, was a guest on the Family Law and Lattes podcast recently, discussing our work, cuts to legal aid and how others can get involved. 

During the episode, they spoke about the growth of our service throughout the pandemic, noting the success of our Helpline and remote services, while running through the impact of facing the court alone. 

The episode is available on all platforms, including Google Play, Apple Music and Spotify.

Martin Lewis CBE recently made an informative video about the challenges to the legal sector and where work like ours comes in, offering support to thousands every year that face the complicated court system with no prior knowledge. 

You can watch it below!