England’s Citizens Advice Bureau

Model For An Inadequate Legal Aid System

---

England’s Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

---

In University classes we learned that American law and our legal system is derived from English law; and in fact there are many similarities between the two systems. There are, however, also many differences.

One of the main differences is the delivery of legal services to the public. England has a multi-tiered legal system which helps keep the legal system accessible to the public. The bottom tier of the English legal system is the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), a nonprofit agency that offers free legal advice for many types of situations. Their website, www.citzensadvice.org.uk/ , states:

Our Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice, and by influencing policymakers.

I fervently wish that we had such a system in the United States. If I have my way, the Florida Association of Legal Document Preparers will one day grow and evolve into an agency modeled after the Citizens Advice Bureau.

It is such a wonderful and novel concept to Americans that there could be a place to go and ask someone a legal question -- for free -- regardless of personal income. In theory, there is such a thing as free legal help in the United States; the reality, however, contrasts sharply with the theory.

The guidelines for the legal aid offices are so narrow, and their income qualifications so low, that many people who need legal help do not receive it. The pro se coordinators in the courts are sometimes helpful and efficient, other times nearly non-existent.

Citizens Advice Bureau’s states as their principals and aims:

The Citizens Advice service provides free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination ...To provide the advice people need for the problems they face ...To improve the policies and practices that affect people’s lives

Everyday, in the course of doing my work, preparing legal documents for people, I hear the stories. Recently I listened to the story of the disabled father who did not know how to convince the Department of Revenue, that he would happily have paid his child support but cannot work due to his illness.

Now, $20,000. behind in child support, and finally receiving disability income, he is stuck with the prospect that his disability income will now be garnished for back child support. He only fell behind when he became ill.

A few months ago, I helped a woman who just wanted a divorce so she could remarry. She had no idea where her husband was -- he had taken off years before, shortly after they were married. An attorney had quoted her a price of $8,000. for a divorce.

The attorney explained to her that the expense was due to the difficulty of locating him, or serving him through constructive service. Not having $8000, the woman went to the court house and purchased the packet of paperwork for pro se dissolution.

She called me the next day. She said she cried with frustration and confusion; and then stuffed those papers into the top of her closet. I told her to bring her papers over, and we sat down and filled them out.

I charged her less than $200. She qualified for civil indigent status; and so her filing fees were waived. A couple of months later she sent me a wedding announcement, and a big heart felt thank you.

I wish it were easier for people to take care of their legal matters themselves.

I wish that our legal system made it easier instead of more difficult for people to pursue or protect their rights.

I wish we had a system similar to England’s Citizens Advice Bureau.

I hope I can turn my wishes into reality. The Florida Association of Legal Document Preparers is a first step.

Wishes are nothing, action is the only thing. Because, like mama always told me, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Submit Your Article to the FALDP

Do you have expertise in a particular area, or just have to get a story "out there"? As a member of the FALDP, you have a voice and active participation will only make us stronger. Please include a by-line and a link to your site or email.

Want More Information?

Have a question or need help with legal document preparation?
Contact us, we are here to help.