CITIZENS Advice Teignbridge has teamed up with local lawyers to improve access to family law.

The charity is collaborating with The Family Law Company to help the community, especially the most vulnerable.

Citizens Advice Teignbridge secured funding through its Family Law Clinic to support ‘litigants in person’ for all aspects of family law.

This is for people who don’t qualify for legal aid and are unable to afford a lawyer so have to represent themselves.

To help them, the organisation is partnering with the University of Exeter Community Law Clinic, so law students can provide free legal advice under the supervision of the Citizens Advice Teignbridge Legal Services Manager.

Support available helps individuals understand their legal position, rights, and options in key areas of family law including; parental disputes and child arrangements; divorce, dissolution and relationship breakdown; financial orders and protection from domestic abuse.

However, where individuals are eligible for legal aid, they need support from a law firm, so the Family Law Clinic is unable to help.

With fewer firms offering a legal aid service, some of the most vulnerable people are at risk of being unable to get help.

The Clinic can now forward relevant enquiries directly to The Family Law Company, helping ensure vulnerable people, including victims of domestic abuse, can obtain legal aid, provided that they meet criteria set by the Legal Aid Agency.

Jacob Pritchard, from Citizens Advice Teignbridge, explained: ‘For quite some time there has been a lack of legal aid provision for family cases, with fewer firms taking on this work.

‘So we are delighted The Family Law Company is taking the initiative; we know this means we will be able to help many more local people to solve their family issues.’

The Family Law Company Business Development Director, Kerry England said: ‘Working with Citizens Advice Teignbridge we are helping ensure residents have access specialist family law support when they need it most so no one is left without access to legal advice during some of life’s most challenging moments.’