Cardiff employment law clinic reopens with help from volunteers and LawWorks

Cardiff Employment Law Pro Bono Advice Clinic has been relaunched following its closure in 2014, taking the number of advice centres in the LawWorks network to 200.

The opening of the new Cardiff clinic on 20 May is a result of hard work by local volunteers and LawWorks Cymru, following the closure of Cardiff’s only free legal advice centre in October 2014. The new clinic is being run fortnightly for the benefit of people who live, work and/or study in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Some 35 solicitors volunteer their free time to running the clinic, along with students from Cardiff University Law School.

Andrew Cross, chair of the clinic’s management committee, said: "For nearly 10 years, the Cardiff LawWorks Pro Bono Employment Clinic was hosted at Cardiff Law Centre and a dedicated team of volunteer pro bono solicitors delivered specialist employment law advice to those undergoing a particularly difficult time in their workplace – typically those undergoing redundancy, disciplinary investigation, race/sex discrimination, non-payment of their wages would all find their way to the pro bono clinic. The launch of the new pro bono employment clinic at Speakeasy Advice Centre therefore represents a continuation of this vital clinic established 10 years ago next month."

Martin Barnes, chief executive of LawWorks, commented: "Our experience has shown legal advice clinics are an effective way to extend access to justice to a significant number of people. Last year, the LawWorks clinics network dealt with over 29,000 enquiries. While it is clear that pro bono cannot be seen as a replacement for legal aid, it does provide an important lifeline to many with nowhere else to turn."