Doing legal aid work means that we offer legal advice to people who couldn’t afford to pay for advice, usually because they are on a low or no income.


2. Why did you decide to work for a legal aid firm rather than a larger, richer company?

There are many Christian lawyers working in all kinds of firms, large and small, rich and not so rich – all of whom are being great witnesses and having a great Christian influence wherever they are, whether that means in big businesses or on the high street in local communities.

However, my choices about the kind of law firm I worked for were really influenced by what I felt God was calling me to do, and the kinds of people he wanted me to serve. Whilst I was studying law at University, God really spoke to me through Proverbs 31:8 – ‘speak out for those who can’t speak for themselves…defend the rights of the poor and needy’. Suddenly I kept finding passages all over the Bible about God’s love for the poor and the marginalised and this meant that I chose to work in a legal aid practice – I wanted to use the gifts God has given me to help serve the poor.


3. Who are the kind of people you serve in your job and what are their needs?

Many of my clients are homeless, or about to become homeless because they are being evicted or cannot afford to find their own accommodation, or have had to leave their accommodation because of threats of violence. Lots of them are asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the UK – they have had to leave their own countries because of war or persecution; their lives have been threatened and they are looking for a safe place to live in the UK. So, most of my clients need advice on finding and keeping a place to live, so they don’t have to sleep on the streets. I also advise people who are having trouble paying their rent, or who need help to deal with housing that is in a really bad state and needs repairing.

Often, people’s housing issues are linked to a whole host of social and family problems, such as debt, alcohol or drug addictions or domestic violence. We try to deal with some of these matters too, because often people need much more help than just legal advice. I’ve recently become involved in setting up a weekly advice centre within our church to try and tackle some of these issues. So, I’m currently working with a financial advisor who offers debt counselling and advice on money management. We run the centre from our church building – members of our church are around to help out too and we really hope to link people up with our wider church community.


4. How has your faith affected your work and vice versa?

My faith has affected my work for all the reasons I’ve outlined above. I also see my work as part of my service and worship to God. How has my work affected my faith… Through my work I’ve seen people in all sorts of situations, some of which have made me cry, some people I laugh with and in many situations I am angry that people have to live in some terrible conditions and many are forced to sleep out on the streets. God has helped me to love people and see them with His eyes. When we see answers to prayer and people housed and families brought together that is a real encouragement to my faith. Working in this area of law constantly makes me more determined to ‘speak up for the poor.’