(L) Laura Holland, outside the NYCALC office in Malton Ryedale. (R) Lucy Brierly at the York Legal Walk 2023 organised by the Access to Justice Foundation.
Today (Friday) North Yorkshire celebrates the launch of its first ever Law Centre, with an inaugural event in York.
The new member, North Yorkshire Citizens Advice & Law Centre (NYCALC), was voted in by its peers at our annual general meeting in December. After several months of adaptations, it is ready to be proudly announced to the county.
Law Centres are formed in one of two ways: they either are set up anew with a specific purpose of becoming a Law Centre, or existing advice organisations join our Network and take on the Law Centre name and identity. NYCALC is the fourth Law Centre that is also a local Citizens Advice. It follows in the footsteps of joint services in Kirklees, Bradford and Sheffield
The benefits of also becoming a Law Centre to local people are obvious. As a combined service, they enjoy both a breadth of issues that they can get help with and a depth of support with common legal problems, for example in housing, discrimination, family, asylum and immigration law.
North Yorkshire is a great county and NYCALC is a large service to suit it. Along with its eight permanent offices from Skipton to Scarborough, it offers outreach services in a further 23 locations. And from now on, it offers God’s Own Country even more.
Laura Holland, Senior Solicitor at NYCALC, said:
“Our team of specialists work to benefit our community by providing access to free legal advice, support and representation. I'm really excited to be a part of this new provision of advice for York and North Yorkshire.”
Lucy Brierley, Discrimination Caseworker at NYCALC:
“Ensuring access to justice to those who need it most is vital. Nobody should suffer discrimination and feel like they have nowhere to turn, so being able to provide specialist support to those most vulnerable in society is an absolute necessity. I am so proud to be a part of the Law Centres Network and I look forward to the opportunities that our Law Centre will bring.”
For referrals to the Law Centre or for further information, please contact lawcentre@northyorkslca.org.uk or visit their website.