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HCLC News

Dalston Pop-Up shortlisted for Law Works Pro Bono Awards 2013!

15/5/2013

Staff, solicitors, caseworkers, volunteers and interns at HCLC are celebrating our ‘Dalston Pop-Up’, our dedicated evening debt and consumer law advice service, in partnership with BPP Law School; Debevoise and Plimpton LLP; Faegre Baker Daniels LLP; Law Works; and the London Borough of Hackney Libraries Service, our Dalston Pop-Up dedicated debt and consumer service being shortliste

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Welcome Tayyabah!

15/5/2013

HCLC is delighted to welcome Tayyabah Ahmed (pictured right) to the centre as our new housing solicitor. Tayyabah has been a qualified solicitor since August 2008.  She completed her training at a private practice firm in Paddington. Tayyabah’s main areas of specialism include housing, civil and family law, and she generally prefers to do her own advocacy at court as she has completed Hig

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Hilton von Herbert shortlisted for Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year award!

15/5/2013

We are very pleased to announce that Hilton von Herbert, our superb Senior Immigration Caseworker, has been shortlisted in this year's Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year Awards!!!!!

Hilton (pictured second left with client Kusi); Declan O’Callaghan, HCLC Patron and immigration barrister (far right); and Declan’s wife Jacqueline (centre) at HCLC's 2012 summer reception - has been shortlis

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Dalston Pop-Up wins Halsbury Legal Award!!!!!

10/5/2013

We are delighted to announce that ‘Dalston Pop-Up’, our dedicated evening debt and consumer law advice service, in partnership with BPP Law School; Debevoise and Plimpton LLP; Faegre Baker Daniels LLP; Law Works; and the London Borough of Hackney Libraries Service, has won a 2013 inaugural Halsbury Legal Award!!!! The Halsbury Legal Awards celebrate excellence in the law and

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Next Generation: Rights & Responsibilities: Event Report

3/5/2013

‘It was a lonely experience,’ said Hughes Cousins-Chang , describing being strip-searched and held in custody for over 12 hours, without being allowed to contact his mother.

Hughes, a sixth-form student, and his friend were arrested by Metropolitan Police officers on a 57 bus outside Tooting Broadway underground last April. It was shortly after his 17th birthday. The High Court last week o

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New Text Message Service for Young People Launched!

30/4/2013

We are delighted to announce that we have now launched a new text message service for young people from Hackney!

Young people aged 16-25 from Hackney, who need help with a homelessness or welfare benefits problem, will now be able to text HCLC direct and receive a call back from us to find out how we can help them. All the young person needs to do is text the word 'advice' to 07860 017 253.

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EVENT: ‘Next Generation – Rights and Responsibilities’

8/4/2013

‘Next Generation – Rights and Responsibilities’ - A debate about what the law means to young people in 21st Century Britain.  

Please join us! Date: Monday April 29th 2013 Time: 6.30pm – 8pm Venue: London’s Living Room, London City Hall, Queens Walk, London SE1 1AA Nearest tube/rail: London Bridge The JusticeGap (www.justicegap.com) has joined forces with Hackney Comm

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Welfare Reform Changes - What you need to know!

1/4/2013

In April 2013, the Government made major changes to the welfare benefits scheme.  There are several changes and the impact upon you will depend on your personal circumstances.

Below is a list of the changes that have been made: Under Occupation – Spare bedroom (s) From April 2013, Housing Benefit has been reduced for working age people living in council and Housing Association properti

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New Form Filling Service for ESA and DLA applications!

25/3/2013

We are delighted to announce that, with the help of students and pro bono staff from BPP Law School, we have now launched a new service to help people fill out their Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) forms.

ESA and DLA application forms can prove very difficult to fill out correctly.  We want to make sure that any resident in Hackney who is entitled to r

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Wendy Pettifer Presentation to Campaign for Benefit Justice Conference

12/3/2013

Wendy Pettifer, HCLC Senior Housing Solicitor, (pictured right) spoke at the Campaign for Benefit Justice conference, which took place at Birbeck University on the 9th of Match 2013.

Wendy chaired the Workshop on ‘Legal Remedies to challenge the benefits cuts’ with Liz Davies, barrister of Garden Court Chambers and speakers from the Mental Health Resistance network. Wendy's speaking no

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Mind the Justice Gap Project goes to Hackney Community College!

12/3/2013

‘Mind the Justice Gap' is our joint Public Legal Education project in partnership with the Justice Gap, the UCL Centre for Access to Justice and the Hackney Council of Voluntary Services.  

The project is aimed at young people and is to help explain their legal rights and demystify the law. Mind the JusticeGap will be an online advice guide about the law aimed at young people informed directl

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Law Society Deputy Vice President visits HCLC!

11/3/2013

We are deeply honoured that Andrew Caplen, current Deputy Vice President of the Law Society, chose to make his first-ever visit to a UK Law Centre on Thursday by visiting HCLC!

Andrew, who was accompanied by Morag Goldfinch, London Regional Manager of the Law Society, spent an hour and a half at the Centre talking to staff and volunteers about HCLC's work and the current challenges facing ou

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Changes to Housing Benefit - What You Need to Know

1/3/2013

The National Housing Federation has produced a comprehensive leaflet which sets out the changes to housing benefit and provides advice and information for tenants.

You can download a copy of the leaflet HERE.

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Dalston Pop-Up shortlisted for Halsbury Legal Award!

22/2/2013

We are delighted to announce that 'Dalston Pop-Up', our dedicated evening debt and consumer law advice service, in partnership with BPP Law School; Debevoise and Plimpton LLP; Faegre Baker Daniels LLP; Law Works; and the London Borough of Hackney Libraries Service , has been shortlisted for a Halsbury Legal Award! The Halsbury Legal Awards celebrate excellence in the law and great contri

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Patron Jean Lambert MEP visits HCLC!

19/2/2013

We were delighted to welcome Jean Lambert MEP (pictured right) to the Centre on Friday 15th February 2013. Jean, who is a Member of the European Parliament representing London, became a Patron of HCLC in March of last year. During the visit to the Law Centre, Jean met our caseworkers, volunteers and interns and heard about one case in which a care leaver HCLC had helped with a housing iss

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Welcome Jorrit!

15/2/2013

Since September, Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf (pictured right) has been volunteering with HCLC every Monday evening after school.

Jorrit, who is 14 years old, lives in Hackney and attends the City of London Boys School. Jorrit got in touch with the Law Centre about becoming a volunteer because he says he finds law very interesting and he also wanted to carry out some voluntary work as part of his

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HCLC solicitor backs campaign to save condemned lawyer

1/2/2013

HCLC Solicitor backs campaign to save Vadim Kuramshin....  [Read More]

HCLC welcomes new Board Members!

1/2/2013

We are delighted to announce that, following the 2013 Annual General Meeting of the Hackney Community Law Centre, which took place on Monday 28th January 2013, we now have three fantastic new Board Members in Mary-Rachel McCabe, Elizabeth Ladipo and Adenike Ojo (pictured left to right).

After graduating in Law with Spanish from the University of Sussex, Mary-Rachel (pictured left) spent six m

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HCLC Annual Report 2012 now published!

25/1/2013

Please find an electronic version of the 2012 Annual Report of the Hackney Community Law Centre available to read and download HERE.

If you would like to be emailed the PDF or receive a printed copy of the report please get in touch.

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Thank you, Lizzette!

21/12/2012

Introducing Immigration Volunteer Lizzette!

Since October, Lizzette Robletto-Gonzalez has volunteered with HCLC to assist us with our immigration and asylum casework.  Lizzette came to the UK in 1995 from Nicaragua.   As well as doing her placement with HCLC, Lizette also has a full time job as a Policy and Advocacy officer for 'Progressio', a non-governmental organisation worki

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