Grace Yeoh’s Post

Truly inspiring: "From a small container at a Hougang temple, this lawyer and her team bring legal access to the vulnerable". "Long-time volunteer with Pro Bono SG, Cai Chengying, knows the charity’s main office in the State Courts can be inaccessible and intimidating for some clients. So, as the organisation’s new Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation, she plans to build more community law centres in the heartlands to improve access to justice for all." This is wonderful as often people with low incomes get trampled on and intimiated by firms with lots of lawyers or who can afford lots of lawyers! "Under her current role at Pro Bono SG as Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation, which she took on at the start of June, she hopes to eventually have five such community law centres across Singapore, with the goal to make legal services more accessible. The second centre, set up in January this year, is situated at the Realm of Tranquility charity in Woodlands. “Over the years, our collective experience was that a lot of people find it difficult to connect to services in the State Courts. They may not have devices to help them register for services online. They also may not feel comfortable stepping into a government building like the State Courts (where Pro Bono SG’s headquarters are)… It’s a bit intimidating for some of the clients,” she noted. Some clients also have difficulties making the trip to the State Courts. One had to borrow money from her for a bus ride home, while another had cycled five hours to meet her colleague, she added." Everyone should have legal support as and when they need it and not be disadvantaged. What do you think, what else could be done? If you’re an entrepreneur and need support on your entrepreneurial journey to enable you to grow your business, our Ultimate LinkedIn Marketing and Personal Branding service can help you, our premium and highly recommended service details are here on this LinkedIn SmartLink: https://lnkd.in/dqWRi6EZ https://lnkd.in/g3ZKM7w2

"The idea for the centre originated from Richard Siaw, Pro Bono SG’s 2022/2023 ambassador and the managing director for law firm R S Solomon LLC. He was then introduced to Tian De Temple’s chairman, who expressed interest in the idea, believing that a temple should extend help to the community it’s in. ... Cai was initially sceptical about the decidedly unique location ... (b)ut her misconceptions were quickly debunked when she saw how the temple mirrored the inclusivity that the community law centre was championing. For one, the temple took the initiative to remove the barrier in front of the containers, so people who might not be comfortable walking through temple grounds could access the community law centre directly from the main pavement. The temple also worked with the town council to create a concrete path, so these people didn’t have to step on the grass and mud to enter.  'Over the years, our collective experience was that a lot of people find it difficult to connect to services in the State Courts. They may not have devices to help them register for services online. They also may not feel comfortable stepping into a government building like the State Courts (where Pro Bono SG’s headquarters are)… It’s a bit intimidating for some of the clients,' she noted. ... But what 𝘩𝘢𝘴 changed more than a year since the community law centre at Tian De Temple was established, and after close to a decade of volunteer experience, is Cai’s perception of neediness. She once believed 'all clients should be financially needy to qualify for services', but has since realised that 'neediness and vulnerabilities can manifest themselves in many ways'. 'We have residents who come in and based on a preliminary assessment of their income, they should be able to afford legal services. But yet, they are as needy as the person with no money, because they don’t know how to use the internet. They don’t speak English. And they might be isolated; they have no other person to help them navigate things,' she explained. 'So I realised that hey, you know, being unaware of how to connect to legal services is a huge vulnerability. Because you are in the same position as someone with no access, no resources to connect to a lawyer. At the end of the day, both of you still don’t have legal representation.' In fact, Cai estimates, about 20 per cent of Pro Bono SG’s clients fall into this category." (italics in original) Grace Yeoh, From a small container at a Hougang temple, this lawyer and her team bring legal access to the vulnerable—Long-time volunteer with Pro Bono SG, Cai Chengying, knows the charity’s main office in the State Courts can be inaccessible and intimidating for some clients. So, as the organisation’s new Head of Strategy and Impact Evaluation, she plans to build more community law centres in the heartlands to improve access to justice for all, 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢, 30 June 2024, https://lnkd.in/gN-vaA_e

🌟 Introducing our 8 Principles for Community Lawyering in the UK 🌟 Our recent report on Community Lawyering draws on community voices to give insights into the gaps and challenges faced by community organisations in accessing legal support. In our report, we suggest an urgent need for alternative models of legal support for community organisations in the UK. #CommunityLawyering ➡ https://lnkd.in/eRGDnTRk Based on this research and conversations with grassroots leaders and community activists, we’ve developed a set of guiding principles for #CommunityLawyering that will improve the legal support offer for grassroots organisations led by and for minoritised communities. We apply these principles to our work and expect they will evolve based on feedback from the community organisations we work with. The 8 principles are: 1.  We share lived experiences with, or will develop a deep shared understanding of, our clients’ community contexts. 2.  We stand in solidarity with our clients’ work. 3.  We understand the systemic barriers that communities face in accessing legal support 4.  We try to proactively dismantle barriers to legal support by adopting an ‘access to justice’ approach in our legal practice. 5.  We embrace collaborative and reciprocal approaches to exchanging knowledge. 6.  We actively democratise and distribute access to legal knowledge. 7.  We advise on intersecting community and individual needs. 8.  We situate our work within wider movements for social justice. #CommunityLawyering #SocialJustice #LegalSupport #CommunityEngagement

Legal Funding and Social Justice: Enhancing Access to Legal Resources for Marginalized Communities 🌟 In our latest blog post, we delve into the crucial intersection of legal funding and social justice. At Ovecus Financial, we believe that everyone deserves fair representation, regardless of their financial status. That's why we're committed to enhancing access to legal resources for marginalized communities. We explore how pre-settlement funding can level the playing field, empowering individuals to pursue justice without the financial burden. By providing financial support upfront, we help bridge the gap between marginalized communities and legal representation. Read our blog to learn more about how legal funding can contribute to social justice and ensure equal access to legal resources for all. Together, we can make a difference!  https://lnkd.in/gyRqP3ZG #LegalFunding #SocialJustice #EqualAccess #OvecusFinancial 📚👩⚖️

“The Legal Aid Society is built on one simple but powerful belief: that no New Yorker should be denied the right to equal justice.” Four years ago this month, our partners at the The Legal Aid Society opened a new chapter for their nearly 150-year old organization. With the launch of their new website and branding, the organization built a brand that better embodies The Legal Aid Society’s mission and values. In our years-long partnership with the organization, we’re proud not only to work with a group so deeply committed to and effective at delivering justice—but we’re also proud of the work we did to help articulate their mission, deepen engagement, and make their site and resources more accessible. Learn more about the building of the brand behind The Legal Aid Society in our case study. #PublicInterest #NonprofitBrand

We are off to a great start; thank you to our early supporters! Your contributions are helping us extend the reach of Legal Aid of North Carolina's excellent programs and kickstarting new projects and partnerships to address unmet legal needs. In the spirit of the Innovation Lab, I am scaling your contributions today by matching the first $10,000 donated to the Lab's page below. 😉 #Give4JusticeNC #LegalTech #LegalInnovation #A2J #makelawbetter #EmergingTech

The state we are in! Cross-party legal reform charity, JUSTICE has today published a landmark report describing how the rule of law in the UK has “regressed significantly on multiple fronts” and threatens the very democratic fabric of our nation. Their report looks at the importance of the Rule of Law as a legal concept that is fundamental to the proper functioning of our society. It also considers the various ways it’s been eroded in recent years (both now and prior to the pandemic). The report finds that UK’s longstanding commitment to the Rule of Law is under grave threat, with lawmaking becoming “less transparent, less accountable, less inclusive, and less democratic”. https://lnkd.in/eVf5kUBu #justice #ruleoflaw #democratic

#MMIWG #2SLGBTQQIA Supported ACLCO (Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario) with their MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ Webinar breakout sessions. This webinar was for Community Legal Aid Clinics in Ontario. Happy to have been joined by Clinic staff members of the ACLCO Race Equity Working group which I serve on (representing West Scarborough Community Legal Clinic; I am a board director), as well as folks from the Crown Attorney's Office, Legal Clinic Indigenous Justice Coordinators, and other lawyers from various clinics across Ontario re: co-facilitators. This webinar was Part II, continued discussions from a previous webinar. 100 clinic staff registered. The webinar went great. Great resource for making legal practice more trauma informed: #TraumaInformed Legal Practice Toolkit by Golden Eagle Rising Society, funded by The Law Foundation of British Columbia https://lnkd.in/eYd4yskG Golden Eagle Rising Law Foundation of British Columbia Image below via: Kairos Canada #Indigenous #Women #Girls #2SLGBTQIA #Legal #LegalClinic #LegalSystem #CommunityLegal #Equity #Inclusion #Justice #Diversity #Accessibility #Ontario #FirstNations #Metis #Inuit #Clinics #UrbanIndigenous #RuralIndigenous #TruthAndReconciliation #Community #Connections #Facilitation #Facilitator #MentalHealth #Reconcilliation #Healing #DecolonialLens

The problems with #LegalAid and #Inquests are all too clear. The state can pay for as many lawyers as it wants. The family are prevented from having equality of representation by the Legal Aid system set in place by successive governments. There is an ongoing failure to grapple with this issue and in my view a public advocate is not a proper and complete answer. We need a commitment to overhaul the entire system to prevent miscarriages of justice and the ongoing perception that there is one rule for those in power and another for everyone else. https://lnkd.in/ezc3Pmsq

Your Voice: What's the key to community lawyering? Less lawyering and more community. https://ow.ly/cnls50RRJXG #yourvoice