Month: July 2021

The Department of Justice has announced that Housing Assistance Payment and other social housing support measures – Rental Accommodation Scheme, Rent Supplement, Mortgage Interest Supplement and Rent Allowance – will now be excluded from the calculation of entitlement to legal aid.

This is a really positive development and is something that Community Law & Mediation has been campaigning for, for some time. We recently took a case on behalf of a client who had been excluded from accessing legal aid because their HAP payment pushed them over the financial threshold. The client had emerged from a situation of domestic violence and was a lone parent who was out of work and caring for young children. However, they were unable to access legal aid to pursue family law reliefs because their HAP payment, which is paid directly to the landlord by the local authority as a social housing support, was assessed as income by the Legal Aid Board.

These changes will bring great relief to many individuals and families who may be dealing with difficult situations at work or domestic violence in the home, but who cannot afford to pay for legal representation of their own.

Find out more here and here

 

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to work in the area of environmental justice.

Community Law & Mediation’s Centre for Environmental Justice was formally launched by Mary Robinson on 11 February 2021. The Centre is the first of its kind in Ireland and the objective of the Centre is to empower communities experiencing disadvantage on environmental justice issues.

Environmental Justice ensures that marginalised groups are not disproportionately impacted by climate change or other environmental harms, and that environmental measures and climate action protect and build equality and social justice.

The Centre provides legal information and advice on individual and community queries through a monthly legal advice clinic as well as training and information resources to advance and address environmental concerns and increase participation on environmental issues. The Centre is also engaged in law reform and policy work.

For further information, please visit our website.

Community Law & Mediation (CLM) is a community based, independent law centre providing services nationwide and operating in two locations: Dublin and Limerick. It was founded in 1975 and assists more than 4,000 people annually through its services, which include free legal advice and representation; information and education; and mediation and conflict coaching. CLM also campaigns for law reform, and for the safeguarding of rights already enshrined in law.

We are recruiting a caseworker to support the CEO to provide legal advice and representation to clients of the Centre for Environmental Justice. The position is part time (14 hours per week) and fixed term (4 months) and the start date is the 1^st September 2021. Salary details are available on request and the successful candidate will report directly to the Manager of the Centre for Environmental Justice.

For full details of the role, please click here.

To download the application form, please click here.

Please send completed application form and CV, as one document, by email to Rose Wall.