{"id":29554,"date":"2023-11-27T08:22:37","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T08:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=29554"},"modified":"2023-12-09T12:42:16","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T12:42:16","slug":"law-centres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/","title":{"rendered":"Law Centres"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#FLAC_Background\" title=\"FLAC Background\">FLAC Background<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#FLAC_Now\" title=\"FLAC Now\">FLAC Now<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#PILA\" title=\"PILA\">PILA<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#FLAC_Information\" title=\"FLAC Information\">FLAC Information<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#Law_Centres\" title=\"Law Centres\">Law Centres<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/law-centres\/#Refugee_Immigrant_Support\" title=\"Refugee &amp; Immigrant Support\">Refugee &amp; Immigrant Support<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FLAC_Background\"><\/span>FLAC Background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Free Legal Aid Centres were established in 1969 by a number of law students.\u00a0 They provides some basic free legal services.<\/p>\n<p>By the early 1970s FLAC had taken \u00a0on over 2,500d files in the area of family, crime, landlord and tenant law.\u00a0 This grew to 8000 by the mid-1970s.\u00a0 By that stage there was 60 lawyers, students at Aid Centres with 50 solicitors and 40 barristers working on a voluntary basis.<\/p>\n<p>The Centres advocated strongly for a scheme of civil legal aid.\u00a0 It assisted in the opening of the first Community Law Centre in Coolock in 1975 mentioned below.<\/p>\n<p>In the early 1980s FLAC was forced to close \u00a0the majority of its centres due to lack of funding.\u00a0 By the mid-1980s, it began to regain funding and was able to build its network again.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FLAC_Now\"><\/span>FLAC Now<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>FLAC continues to advocate particularly in the area of the inadequacies of the civil legal aid scheme.\u00a0 It played an important role in the advocacy towards passing of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995. It continues to highlight gaps in the scheme, and it continuous to maintain a campaign for purposes in the legal aid.<\/p>\n<p>FLAC concentrates on four main areas legal aid, credit and debt, public-interest law and social welfare.\u00a0 It undertakes public interest litigation on occasion.<\/p>\n<p>FLAC is governed by a Council elected by members at an AGM.\u00a0 It is an Independent Law Centre.<\/p>\n<p>Solicitors and barristers donate expertise by way of legal advice.\u00a0 One aspect is campaigning at policy level. The second aspect is provision by\u00a0 lawyers on a voluntary basis in Centres of free legal advice about practical matters, including for example, employment, health, and safety, property issues.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PILA\"><\/span>PILA<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Public Interest Law Alliance is a project of FLAC.\u00a0 It facilitates lawyers using special skills pro bono.\u00a0 FLAC assists Laws Centres in obtaining pro bono legal advice from other solicitors and barristers through the PILA referral scheme.<\/p>\n<p>A number of workgroups on law reform have been established in a range of areas by PILA.\u00a0It runs a professional referral scheme that matches skills to specific needs or requests the assistance of nongovernmental organisations, Laws Centres and community organisations.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FLAC_Information\"><\/span>FLAC Information<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>FLACs offer specialist advice in the areas of immigration, family and employment law. It publishes legal information\u00a0 principally in the above areas.<\/p>\n<p>It provides pro bono legal education sessions to organisations to improve their ability to advocate for their clients and service users.\u00a0\u00a0FLAC publishes a range of information on its website in a range of legal information on its \u00a0website, particularly in the above areas.<\/p>\n<p>It releases a quarterly magazine FLAC News which is intended for FLAC members and volunteers as well as other advisers and policymakers in the area of interest. Its publications are now online.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Law_Centres\"><\/span>Law Centres<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Independent Law Centres are not for profit voluntary bodies accountable to the community service.\u00a0 Solicitors who are employed by them are regulated on a special basis by Law Society regulations, which grant exemptions from some of the general requirements.<\/p>\n<p>One of the earliest Law Centres was the Northside Law Community Centre, which has operated since 1975.\u00a0 It was the first Community Law Centre in the state.\u00a0 It provides legal services, particularly on family law, social welfare and debt issues, and housing.<\/p>\n<p>It also provides advice in relation to wills and inheritance, consumer law, employment and equality.\u00a0 It offers free advice clinics to persons living within its catchment area. The organisation is staffed by a number of volunteers including practising lawyers.<\/p>\n<p>There is special rules by the Law Society permitting employment by solicitors in Independent Law Centres.\u00a0 Generally, a solicitor may only be employed by a solicitor.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Refugee_Immigrant_Support\"><\/span>Refugee &amp; Immigrant Support<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There are a number of specialist Law Centres, some of which are supported by government.\u00a0 The Irish Refugee Council Independent Law Centre opened in late 2011.\u00a0 It employs a number of solicitors.<\/p>\n<p>The service is aimed at meeting legal needs for those in the early stages of asylum process.\u00a0 It accepts referrals from related organisation.\u00a0 It provides an appointment-based legal aid advice clinic in Dublin City Centre.<\/p>\n<p>The Immigrant Council of Ireland operates an Independent Law Centre.\u00a0 Its legal team can provide assistance and legal representations regarding immigration status.\u00a0 It is a free but limited service specific to the immigration area.<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-29554\" data-postid=\"29554\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-29554 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FLAC Background The Free Legal Aid Centres were established in 1969 by a number of law students.\u00a0 They provides some basic free legal services. By the early 1970s FLAC had taken \u00a0on over 2,500d files in the area of family, crime, landlord and tenant law.\u00a0 This grew to 8000 by the mid-1970s.\u00a0 By that stage [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[392],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29554"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30058,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29554\/revisions\/30058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}