Turpin Miller are delighted to have been shortlisted for a Law Society Excellence Award in the Access to Justice Category.
As set out by the Law Society, “This award celebrates excellence and outstanding achievement in access to justice. Access to justice is a fundamental right, and legal aid performs a crucial role in providing fair and equal access to those most at risk of being excluded from our legal system.”
The firm’s nomination arises out of our Collaborative Legal Clinic, run in partnership with the Oxford University Centre for Criminology and the Bonavero Institute for Human Rights.
As part of this programme, we host Bonavero student Fellows, who assist us in delivering a legal advice clinic at HMP Huntercombe, a foreign national prison with a capacity for 480 adult prisoners, most of who are facing deportation.
Since 2012 changes in the law relating have excluded cases relating to deportation from legal aid funding in all but exceptional circumstances, which need to be made out prior to funding being granted. This has been followed by a number of other changes in the law which have made it particularly difficult for persons held in prisons to access to immigration advice and assistance at an early stage.
Through the work of the clinic we have been able to secure funding to represent those with complex human rights cases, ‘Windrush’ and nationality matters, as well as asylum, statelessness, modern slavery, bail and asylum support. Many of the clients seen are very vulnerable, some with serious mental health issues.
The winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on 13 October 2020.