Co-op launches 'massive expansion' of family legal aid service

Co-operative Legal Services launched its national face-to-face family legal aid service this morning, which is already operating from 23 of the Co-op's bank branches.

Christina Blacklaws, director of family law at Co-operative Legal Services (CLS), told Solicitors Journal that the Co-op had won 78 legal aid contracts and a contract to provide one of three national phone-based services.

She said the new service, which operates from national family mediation centres and Co-op offices as well as bank branches, had been up and running from 2 April.

Blacklaws said it was located across England, from Newcastle to Manchester, Birmingham, Norwich and Exeter, and the Co-op had been awarded three contracts in Wales.

She said this represented a "massive expansion" of the CLS family legal aid service already provided from its base in Paddington, which operated under only one face-to-face contract.

Blacklaws said most people who turned up would already have appointments, but for those who did it would be "just like going to a solicitor's firm". Clients could be referred to the CLS panel of six barristers' chambers.

"We really want to be part of the solution," she said. "We know we can't close the gaps left by the swingeing cuts but we are trying to help as many people as we can."

The Co-op also provides free initial advice for people who do not qualify for legal aid and has said it has already helped over 7,000 people at a cost of over 200,000.

"We are developing a large range of self-help tools for the internet and social media, so people can help themselves," Blacklaws said. "But a lot of people cannot access this and cannot afford to pay, and we have real concerns for them."

The Co-op is in the process of buying over 600 bank branches from Lloyds, which would give it more than 1,000 high street branches by 2015. CLS launched its family law service, based in Paddington, in September last year.

Speaking to the Westminister Legal Policy Forum last month, Blacklaws said the arrival of ABSs would not prevent independent specialists from operating in the high street.

"The presence of new brands in the market creates a huge opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves."