Many individuals, including survivors of domestic abuse and children, struggle to navigate a legal system that wasn’t designed to be faced alone. Support Through Court’s ‘Residual Impact’ campaign focuses on how unclaimed client funds can provide vital support and can bring about change for people facing court alone.
Recent figures from The Law Society reveal a justice system under immense strain. The number of people representing themselves in court continues to rise, further exacerbating the growing backlog of cases. While many family cases qualify for legal aid, others fall outside the eligibility criteria but still cannot afford legal representation. Many of these cases involve vulnerable individuals, including survivors of domestic abuse and children.
How Support Through Court can help
Each day my colleagues see people who have no choice but to represent themselves at highly emotional moments that could have life-changing outcomes. Too many people find themselves in a legal system that was not designed for people to navigate without the help of a lawyer. Demand for our free service has grown significantly as more people are left with no option other than to represent themselves if they wish to access justice.
My frontline colleagues support a team of 600+ volunteers. Our volunteers can:
- Explain how the court works, help fill in forms, organise papers, and discuss settling issues without going to court
- Help clients plan what they want to say in court, and if needed, go with them to court to provide support and help afterwards
- Provide details of other specialist advice agencies, where possible
Unclaimed funds, undeniable impact
We recently launched ‘Residual Impact’, a campaign to highlight the powerful difference companies can make. Under SRA rules, law firms can donate unclaimed client funds of up to £500 to charity without prior permission. Amounts over £500 can also be paid to charity, providing SRA permission is granted and the charity is prepared to take out indemnity insurance. Support Through Court is happy to do this. Even a small donation can have a big impact—just £50 is enough to fund a trained volunteer to support up to two people through the court system, offering vital assistance during one of the most challenging moments of their lives.
Molly’s story
Donated funds can make a difference to people like Molly. Molly recently left her partner, who had been abusing her. Her ex decided to take her to court to get shared custody of the pet they owned together. She felt this was his last-ditch attempt to keep control over her and it made her extremely anxious and stressed.
We took Molly through the free help that was on offer for survivors of domestic abuse and empowered her to contact these services. We explained that she could write to the courts to let them know about her PTSD. We also reassured Molly that she could have a volunteer attend the trial with her, so she didn’t have to digest all the information by herself.
Molly was visibly relieved to have someone there to listen to her story. She felt calmer knowing that she had options and places to turn to and, crucially, didn’t have to go through the whole process alone.
You can help people like Molly
Find out more about the campaign and I’d be happy to chat if you want to know more. For more information or to donate to help people facing court alone you’re welcome to contact me via email: [email protected]
Ali Evans is the Senior Partnerships Manager at Support Through Court. Since joining in 2021, she has been dedicated to empowering law firms and the wider legal sector to leverage their influence for meaningful change. Passionate about access to justice, Ali works to ensure that those facing court alone receive the support they need.