New project to offer legal advice
PEOPLE in the Highlands are being given a new route to access justice thanks to a partnership between law firm Harper Macleod and the Aberdeen Law Project (ALP).
The Inverness Law Project (ILP), being launched in late November, will see talented law students provide a range of free legal services to individuals and groups who cannot otherwise obtain legal advice or representation.
These services will include holding law clinics, carrying out community outreach and providing legal research resources.
The ILP will be student-led, with specialists at Harper Macleod providing support, training and supervision.
It is the first spin-off project from the ALP, which since it was set up in 2009.
Monthly legal clinics will be held at the Spectrum Centre, covering most aspects of law including housing, employment, consumer issues, charities, discrimination and land disputes.
The first clinics are due to be held on November 28.
Chris Kerr, Harper Macleod’s lead partner in the Highlands and Islands, said: "We share ALP’s passion for access to justice and our involvement in the project is a fantastic opportunity to use our depth of experience and expertise to help give something back to the areas of the local community which need it most."
Ryan Whelan, chairman of the ALP board, said: "We have in student director Lauren Frame – an exceptionally able and motivated Invernessian – and we are looking forward to what Lauren and the team, supported by Harper Macleod, can achieve in Inverness and the wider Highlands over the coming years."