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Contact
our advice line for free, confidential
advice. |
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EMPLOYMENT
Mon 10 - 12 noon
Wed 10 - 12 noon |
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HOUSING
Thu 10 - 12 noon |
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IMMIGRATION
Tue 10 - 12 noon |
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Rochdale
Law Centre aims to help those disadvantaged living
in the borough of Rochdale and surrounding areas
by:-
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Providing free independent, high quality legal
advice and representation.
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Undertaking training, public education work
campaigning.
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Working on a strategic level with relevant
partners.
- Challenging
discrimination of all kinds.
Rochdale Law Centre was
established in February 1991 with a staff of
four, to provide an independent legal resource
for local individuals and communities. We
now employ 14 staff (full & part time) –
8 Caseworkers (including, currently, 4 Solicitors),
1 Development worker, 1 Accountant and 4 admin/support
staff.
Our main specialist areas of law are:-
- Housing,
- Employment,
- Discrimination
- Immigration
& Asylum.
- Community
Care
The
Law Centre serves the whole of the Metropolitan
Borough of Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and Pennines
(including Littleborough, Wardle and Milnrow).
Our building is in Rochdale Town Centre, but we
aim to make our services accessible to the whole
of the borough by holding advice sessions around
the borough, and by telephone advice sessions.
The Law Centre was established to promote access
to legal justice and to serve the needs of traditionally
oppressed groups and those whose access to the
legal system is restricted. We aim to achieve
this by employing a variety of methods of work,
including individual case and advice work. The
priority areas of work of the Law Centre reflect
the needs of the users, and our policy to work
against discrimination. These priorities are set
by the Management Committee and are reviewed regularly.
Staff members take up cases and carry out other
work in accordance with those priorities. Our
role also involves helping groups and individuals
to use their own skills and resources in self-representation.
The aim is for the Law Centre not always to act
as “the experts”, but to be available
to assist people to conduct their own arguments,
campaigns or claims.
The Law Centre has a commitment to directing staff
time to activities such as resourcing other advice
agencies (e.g. 2nd tier advice, taking referrals
of complex cases, training) to provide information
and publicity about rights in an accessible form;
working with community groups and taking up legal
issues that have an effect on members of those
groups; working closely with other local advice
agencies, statutory bodies, campaigning groups
etc.
The Management Committee is elected by the members
of the Law Centre at the Annual General Meeting.
It is made up of representatives of local groups
and of interested individuals. All members of
the Committee bring their own skills, resources
and local knowledge to the running of the Law
Centre. The Management Committee is responsible
for ensuring local control and local accountability
of the Law Centre. It is their role to set the
Law Centre’s priorities, draw up its policies
and employ its staff.
The Law Centre recognises that some members of
every community suffer the effects of discrimination.
This may, for example, be for reason of their
race, ethnic origin or language, physical or mental
disability, responsibility for dependants, age
or class, being HIV positive or having AIDS, or
because they are black, a woman, a lesbian or
a gay man. The Centre will, therefore, positively
act to ensure that oppressed groups and individuals
are not disadvantaged in the provision of its
services and priority will be given to this work.
The Law Centre also recognises the experience
of people who have suffered discrimination, and
that this experience is a vital resource to make
sure that the objectives of the Law Centre are
carried out. The Management Committee seek to
ensure, therefore, that oppressed groups and individuals
are represented in its staff members and in its
management.
This
web-site has been developed through a grant from
the Cooperative Foundation.
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