Information for Advisers
About the Sessions
FLAG is held twice a month at the Cambridge CAB and offers one-off free legal advice. Each adviser sees up to two clients per session for 45 minutes each. Sessions last from approximately 6pm to 7.30pm. Please see the Contact section for details and directions to CAB's premises.
Making Yourself Available
Each adviser involved in the scheme is expected to be available for each fortnightly session. If this is not possible, advisers must notify the FLAG Coordinators of the scheme a month in advance of the session to be missed. If such notification is not given, advisers are expected to arrange a suitable replacement and must notify the FLAG Coordinators.
Receiving the Appointment
The CAB provides details of each client and that client's case about a week before each FLAG session. Details of any third parties and copies of any relevant documents are also provided. Such details are sent to the FLAG Coordinators who then send out details to the relevant advisers. Advisers can then carry out conflict checks and should advise the FLAG Coordinators as to the outcomes. If necessary, clients can be "swapped" around advisers depending upon the outcome of conflict checks. Advisers must not retain details of any clients with whom they have a conflict. Advisers should also be aware that they will not receive appointments in connection with matters in the “regulated sector”.
A final timetable is circulated among advisers a couple of days before a session is to occur.
Giving Advice
A "Confirmation of Advice Sheet" should be taken with the adviser to all appointments and filled in during the appointments or typed up in the week following the appointment. The Advice Sheet provides for details of the client's problem and the advice given and must be either left at the CAB after the session or forwarded to the FLAG Coordinators in order that the CAB can maintain records of advice given and can conform to liability insurance requirements. A blank Advice Sheet is available to download here.
Advisers only take appointments in those areas of law in which they consider they have the appropriate skills and knowledge. For the avoidance of doubt, only qualified solicitors, barristers or legal executives may advise clients.
All participating advisers must have a basic knowledge of the scope of entitlements to public funding for civil and family cases via the Community Legal Service (CLS) and how a client may be able to access the CLS, together with a very basic knowledge of the welfare benefits system. Advisers are not expected to give detailed advice about either welfare benefits or the operation of the CLS. However, basic familiarity is required to ensure that the client can be given appropriate information about possible help with the cost of legal advice/referrals and advised about the need to take specialist advice about welfare benefits.
Advisers should read the documents below on eligibility for public funding and benefits.
For more information on becoming an adviser please contact flaginformation@mills-reeve.com.
Useful Documents
The following documents can be downloaded by right-clicking and selecting "Save As":
