Having previously served as a magistrate, Rosemary was encouraged to volunteer with us in 2012 after having a conversation with one of our very first volunteers. Rosemary has seen many changes over the years, from the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act to more recent IT developments, but for her, the most rewarding part remains the same: helping our clients to better access justice.
I came to Support Through Court in 2012, having sat as a magistrate at Thames in East London for some 25 years, and in the Family Court from when it started in 1991 after the passing of the Children Act in 1989. A good friend of mine who was renowned as the first London Family Courts’ Chair was one of the very first volunteers at the charity, as her sister-in-law, Diana Copisarow, had founded this wonderful charity in 2001. She encouraged me to apply as a volunteer, as she hoped that I would find it both interesting and worthwhile, and so it has been.
I completed one year at the Royal Courts of Justice where often my clients knew their way confidently round those courts so much better than I ever did. However, I had always hankered after the Family Court work at Central Family Court, and once I got there, I stayed.
As volunteers, we helped each other with any difficulties with clients or queries that came our way, and it was a very collegiate atmosphere Then came the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act in 2012, which changed our work significantly. We quickly became inundated with desperate clients who could no longer access legal aid or other legal help as this was now severely rationed.
The satisfaction of being able to help our clients in the Family Courts is an enormous factor in the enjoyment of our work. Sometimes having a sympathetic ear and listening to the clients’ difficulties in these often emotional, and sometimes tragic circumstances, is a service to them, but of course we do so much more.
“Sometimes having a sympathetic ear and listening to the clients’ difficulties in these often emotional, and sometimes tragic circumstances, is a service to them, but of course we do so much more.”
Supporting a client in a family court hearing so clearly gives them more confidence to express their situations to the judge in these cases. That undoubtedly leads to better outcomes for all parties, including the children involved.
Support Through Court has changed considerably in the years that I have been a volunteer here. IT plays a very big part in the operation of the service, especially since the pandemic in 2020 which rendered our paper files redundant overnight.
Access to justice and the importance of it has recently been spoken of and written about much more.
It is of fundamental importance to every person who has a need to represent or defend themselves in our courts, and in other similar situations. The organisation plays a huge part in helping to provide better access for our clients in courts and tribunals, and I am proud to have been a very tiny part of that process.
According to the Law Society, there has been a 59% decrease in legal aid providers since 2012. Our support for litigants in person is needed now more than ever.
We are hugely grateful to volunteers who dedicate their time to listen to and guide our clients through their court proceedings. If you would like to help people facing court alone, find out more about volunteering with us.
