August Member of the month: Merseyside Employment Law

Agency CV

What geographical area do you serve? Merseyside
When was your organisation founded? 2000
How many staff/volunteers do you have? 12
Who are you funded by? LSC, EHRC, Liverpool City Council & Capacity Builders
What’s the average number of clients you help each year? 750

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Can you tell us about an accomplishment your organisation has achieved in the past?

Merseyside Employment Law (MEL) has successfully brought several cases to the Employment Appeal Tribunal thereby enhancing employment rights to the wider public. We are also the only advice agency on Merseyside where individuals can access specialist Employment Law & Discrimination Law advice & Employment Tribunal representation.

Are there any specialist projects currently under way you would like people to know about?

MEL delivers a project to provide employment law advice, support & training to other community organisations. Organisations with an employment law problem would usually incur costs of accessing advice from solicitors firms, however the project provides such advice for free thereby saving organisations significant legal costs. This is in addition to the preventative measures which the project applies to organisations to ensure they do not face future employment law related litigation.

MEL receives funding from the EHRC to deliver equalities advice casework and representation at Employment Tribunals. This is the only EHRC funded Project in Merseyside with a constant high demand.

Why is your organisation a member of AdviceUK, and why is being a member important for your centre?

AdviceUK provides invaluable support to MEL. Such support enables MEL to operate effectively and efficiently. AdviceUK also facilities wider agency co-operation and ensure a single coherent voice for the sector.

What do you think the future will bring in general for advice work?

The target compliance culture will increase. The reality for clients will mean lower “quality”, generalist advice.  Agencies will be forced to cherry pick those clients with simple problems.

What would be your top tip for other advice agencies looking to improve their service or sustainability?

Widen your core activities to ensure your eligibility for funding is widened.

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Member of the month

Offering free debt advice for the west Kent area with over a 100 hundred volunteers.

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