Going through court can be incredibly complex and bewildering. We provide practical and emotional support to people facing court alone, empowering people who feel that they have nowhere else to turn, helping them to feel prepared and supported in accessing justice.
Donate your residual client balances
An easy way for law firms to donate to Support Through Court is to donate any residual client balances.
In 2014, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) increased the limit of unclaimed funds from £50 to £500 which can be paid to charity without SRA permission.
Read more about the process
Residual Impact
From 3rd – 7th March our latest campaign, ‘Residual Impact’ will highlight the difference donating your unclaimed funds can make.
Companies donating their residual fund balances can have an undeniable impact by donating their unclaimed balances. A donation of just £50 can fund a trained volunteer to support up to two people through the court system, providing critical assistance during one of the most challenging times in their lives.
Contact us today to start the conversation and build a partnership that truly matters. To find out more, please contact Ali Evans: a.evans@supportthroughcourt.org
Unclaimed balances, undeniable impact
Donated residual funds can help people like Elly.
When Elly first came to visit us, she was very anxious. After years in an abusive marriage, she had finally got divorced. She had given her husband multiple chances to redeem himself, even after going into a refuge. Every time he appeared to have changed, but would eventually show his dark, true colours. Elly and her children have all been affected by the abuse. When they divorced, she thought she and her children were finally able to continue their lives without him.
But now he has brought her to court, claiming he is entitled to a share of her properties. When she was informed by the court that her ex-husband had applied for a financial settlement, she ‘didn’t have a clue what to do’.
As a lay person, she found it very difficult to understand documents from the court, and didn’t know what to do next. Our volunteers helped her make sense of the documents, by putting words into basic English. We also helped her express her thoughts in a clear, organised way – Elly stresses how important this was for her, as she is dyslexic.
At times it was all very overwhelming. For a while, she struggled with suicidal feelings, and found it hard to get out of bed because she was so depressed. She found the strength to come to Support Through Court, and says ‘Support Through Court gave me a lot of guidance and hope’.
As the court date came closer, one of our volunteers referred her to the Safe Spaces Project solicitor for legal advice on how to prepare for her hearing, which she found very helpful: ‘She was very detailed over the phone, she understood my situation very well, and she put everything in writing’. The solicitor, she adds, used very simple language when giving her legal advice, which helped her understand what to do next.
Since then, Elly has come back to us for more support: she believes that Support Through Court’s volunteers save lives by showing kindness.
We also referred her to Advocate to get legal representation and she now has a barrister for her case, whom she is working with to get justice for herself and her children. She also managed to arrange counselling for herself. Sometimes it still gets too much, but thanks to the help she received from us and the Safe Spaces project she says she ‘came out very positive and stronger’.
- Name changed to protect client