Our expertise and the experience that comes from being an established company guarantee a range of professional, friendly services tailored to meet your needs. We specialise in social security law and related matters.
Many advice agencies have had to stop, or severely restrict, representation for clients due to financial pressures. Instead, they are having to rely on sending in written submissions. Certainly better than nothing but this comes a distant second to having an experienced professional who has prepared for the hearing.
The Child Poverty Action Group say, "If you are not eligible for free advice and assistance, or you want to be represented at an oral hearing, you are likely to have to pay. It may be a worthwhile investment if your claim is worth hundreds of pounds."
According to the CAB: "Our frontline caseworkers and managers have told us that the impact of the proposed changes to legal aid on specialist services will be devastating. The overwhelming majority say that it will be impossible to provide a specialist service, whilst over half say that it may be impossible to continue providing any advice service at all." Click here to view
And it's not just the Citizens Advice service that will be affected - law centres, independent advice agencies and some solicitors' firms will find it difficult to continue to operate. The Law Centres Network says that for the whole of 2015, there were only 254 new benefits cases helped by civil legal aid in England and Wales. This compares with 82,542 cases in 2012-13, the year before the cuts.
In the meantime, the DWP has been allocated £22m of public money to hire new "presenting officers" to "support" it at disability benefit tribunals. Disability campaigners warn that these presenting officers, rather than helping judges to make fair decisions about whether to overturn the DWP's rejection of someone's claim for benefits, will inevitably argue as forcibly as possible in the government's favour.
With no access to free representation people dealing with disabilities, chronic illness, and mental health problems have to go up against the DWP alone.
Our mission is to look after your interests at Social Security Appeal Tribunals. We offer expert advice and representation.
Contact us today for a free, no obligation assessment of your case.
If you need urgent advice ring us on 0333 121 2128.
Please note that we cannot offer advice on matters relating to employment disputes, criminal injuries or industrial injuries.
"I used your sample for ESA for CFS and was awarded it for 2 Years." E.M.
Claiming benefits usually involves completing a lengthy claim form. The answers you give go a long way to deciding if you get the benefit but there may be a face to face assessment before the decision is made. It is vital to get the form right and worded in the correct way. A Tribunal Judge recently wrote in his explanation for a decision: "In the claim pack Mr B did not reply to the question asking him how far he can normally walk." Need we say more?
Click here to view the available sample forms
I just wanted to take some time out and thank all of you for your help, support and understanding in winning both my cases for DLA and ESA. I don't know where I would have been without you!
Jennifer
