Partner Article

Newcastle and North East Junior Lawyers Division to host summer ball

The Newcastle and North East JLD is preparing to host a black tie Summer Ball at the Centre for Life on Friday 7th August 2015, sponsored by Sacco Mann and Wesleyan Financial Services. All young professionals in the area are welcome to attend.

Tickets for the evening are still available at a cost of £40 per head or £365 per table of ten. Ticket price includes: Welcome drink, 3 course meal, half bottle of wine each, 4D motion ride and a live band.

A raffle will be held on the night with all proceeds going to the Newcastle Law Centre. Any raffle prizes donated will be gratefully accepted. Please contact ask@jldnortheast.org.uk if you would like to donate.

Newcastle Law Centre is an independent, not-for-profit, specialist legal practice offering legal services across the North East. Committee members voted the Newcastle Law Centre as their charity of the year, due to the work the Law Centre does, particularly in light of the recent cuts to Legal Aid. Ronagh Craddock, national JLD representative explained, ‘Wednesday 1 April marked the two-year anniversary of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act and during the past two years the impact of the cuts has really come to light. Working in family law, I see how inaccessible justice has become for people. Every day I am forced to turn people away because they don’t meet the government’s unfair criteria.’

Jayne Edwards, director of Newcastle Law Centre, recently spoke at an event to raise awareness of the cuts to legal aid. Jayne gave a passionate talk on the work the Law Centre does and the disastrous effects the legal aid cuts have had on vulnerable people in the community. She shared several harrowing stories of people who have been unable to access justice due to the legal aid reforms. The not-for-profit sector is being left to pick up the pieces left by the cuts and they are struggling to fill this gaping hole in services. Jayne discussed the difficult position that she is in, knowing that these services should be provided by the government but being forced to ask firms to provide pro-bono services so that people in need are able to access legal advice.

Tickets for the event are limited. Please visit www.jldnortheast.org.uk for more information and to reserve your place.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Katharine Watson .