This is the year that I celebrate (?) 40 years as a
Solicitor. It was on 1st April 1980 that the Master of the Rolls,
Lord Denning put his autograph on my admission certificate and declared that I
was a fit and proper person. I’m sure that many of my friends would disagree
with that view! The Jam were at Number 1 in the Charts with Going Underground
which you must admit is quite cool.
After a bit of a false start with a local firm I started my
first real job I the Vauxhall Law Centre a few weeks later. Due to a masterstroke
of timing this was the day after my wife had delivered our first baby! So, I
don’t remember a lot about the first few days. The Law Centre was in an old
school building in Sylvester Street just off Scotland Road. The locals were proud
to show me that Priscilla White (Cilla!) lived in the house at the top off the
road.
At that time the Legal Officer of the National Council For Civil Liberties was a a young solicitor called Harriet Harman. The Journal of Social Welfare Law was edited by Prof. Brenda Hogget (Hale) of Manchester University! I relied heavily on a local young barrister called Mark Hedley - now retired High Court Judge Sir Mark...
I didn’t really have any idea what Access to Justice meant.
I went there because it was a good job and, for a newbie, paid relatively well.
For the first few months there were two of us, but funding pressures meant that I was soon on my own. The
emphasis back then was on housing, housing and more housing. That part of
Liverpool had some of the worst conditions in Europe. Shortly before my arrival,
the Law Centre had taken the case of Irwin v Liverpool City Council to the
House of Lords. This established the landlords’ duty to repair common parts which
was included in the Housing Act 1985.
At least once a week I was at the County
Court seeking emergency injunctions against the Local Authority. This led inevitably
to a collision with Liverpool City Council who partly funded the project. Some
local councillors objected to their paying us to sue them and tried to close
the centre. At that time the Law Centre was managed by Liverpool Law Society
which was years ahead of its time in promoting justice for all. I remember
attending a meeting with councillors. I was a very green solicitor flanked by Tony
Ensor (later HHJ Ensor) and David Thomas (later the Financial Ombudsman)!! I
felt invincible and we won that particular day, although were limited to a single lawyer.
By this time, I was, and remain, an Access to Justice zealot.
But it should be said that for all that we fought and campaigned, it was a
comparatively easy ride. We normally managed to secure legal aid in most cases.
The joint income from this and from the local authority meant that during my
time, we mainly focussed on justice rather than survival.
It is now a different world. The needs haven’t gone away but
centres are closing everywhere. Legal Aid has largely disappeared for some work and
where it survives its availability is not publicised. Charitable work to raise
funds for law and advice centres has never been more important. Pro bono (aka
free work) is becoming more and more important. This includes the legal walks
and the excellent Pro Bono Publico initiative from the bar –
I have no plans to retire any time soon. But even when that
day comes I will not shut up about this topic!
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