By Press Release
An Island solicitor is asking whether the local legal community can step up to help Islanders who could not otherwise access legal advice.
Newport resident, Michael Coyle, set up Lawdit Solicitors more than 20 years ago, and has offices in Southampton and Newport. Responding to the recent closure of the IW Law Centre, due to a lack of funding, he said: “Law Centres have always been a place where everyone could access justice, but now many of our fellow citizens will have no access to any form of legal advice unless they can afford hourly rates of £150+. It is no way for our society to function.
“The government is always talking about taking back control, so I am suggesting we do just that by operating a free legal clinic, staffed and run by qualified Island solicitors. I have discussed this with my Island-based colleagues, Mark Reed and Ellis Sweetenham, and we three are willing to step up.
“I’d like to hear if other Island solicitors would be willing to join in. We could share the load and provide a rota over the course of a year, so that we can offer some of the help the Law Centre has provided for more than two decades without each individual solicitor being overstretched.”
If you are interested and can spare three to four hours every month or so please get in touch via email at mark.reed@lawdit.co.uk.
