Not long now - we're excited for the Eastern Legal Support Trust Great Legal Bake!
 
​We are really excited about the Great Legal Bake coming up in just over one month from February 20th-24th. We already have 50 teams organised so far, all ready to bake and raise funds to support access to advice for all. Last year we raised over £20,000 in baking efforts, and are looking forward to surpass that amount in baking extravaganzas this year.
 
The Eastern Legal Support Trust was established to support the provision of free legal advice in Cambridge and the East and the Great Legal Bake is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to legal aid and reduced household income for many working families has increased demand for free access to specialist legal advice and it is more important than ever that the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community have access to such support. For example, the trust has supported projects such as the Public Law Project which included gaining "exceptional funding" necessary to prevent breaches of fundamental rights.  
 
During the week, there will be bakes across the country at various firms and organisations. This is an opportunity for lawyers to showcase their inner Mary Berry’s and show off their baking talents in support for a great legal cause. Cupcakes, cookies and cakes at work (savoury and sweet) - what’s not to love!
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends and family to get involved in the baking to raise vital funds for legal advice agencies!
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As part of National Pro Bono Week, over 70 organisations signed themselves up for the biggest quiz of the year. Eastern Legal Support Trust teams tested their knowledge of everything from films to the Olympics to raise funds in support of access to justice in the East.
 
A big thanks to teams from Cambridge & District Citizens Advice Bureau, Essex Legal Services, Kennedys Law, Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Junior Lawyers Division (Law Society)​, MJP Conveyancing , PSU Chelmsford, St Albans CAB and Tees Law.
 
Topping the fundraising leader board in the Eastern region so far are the fabulous Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Junior Lawyers (Law Society) who raised an amazing £314.40! However, funds are still coming in and we’re confident that this will be the most successful Great Legal Quiz yet!
 
All teams did a great job in raising money, and we are very grateful to everyone for pulling out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice in the East.
 
The charities supported by The Great Legal Quiz help thousands of people every year gain access to justice. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances but without the resources to pay for private legal advice. Without this charitable work many vulnerable people would be left alone to navigate the court and justice system without any advice or support.
 
The national winners will be announced very shortly – watch this space!

​It is time to put on those thinking caps as The Great Legal Quiz is almost upon us! There's still time for you to join and you can register here. 

Nationally, we have 71 teams signed up, all raising vital funds to support access to advice for all.

The charities supported by The Great Legal Quiz help thousands of people every year gain access to justice. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances but without the resources to pay for private legal advice. Without this charitable work many vulnerable people would be left alone to navigate the court and justice system without any advice or support.

It looks set to be a fantastic event with so many teams competing for the top spot, while raising money for access to justice.

​The Great Legal Quiz cannot come fast enough and as the days speed by, the number of quizzers continues to grow! We now have 5 teams in the East of England committed to quizzing to support local advice agencies in their mission to ensure access to justice for all.
 
The Quiz is completely self-run: we supply the questions and advertisement posters, all you need to do Is sign up and prepare to get quizzing!
                                                                                                                    
Are you an advice organisation and not too sure about signing up? As an advice organisation, you are able to use the Great Legal Quiz to fundraise 100% for your own organisation. Alternatively, if you are not an advice organisation, you can choose to split the funds, 50% for the ELST and 50% to the charity of your choice!
 
Please do spread the word and get as many people involved as possible! The questions will not be law-focused so anyone with any general knowledge is invited to participate!
 
 

We are really excited about the Great Legal Quiz coming up in just over one month on Wednesday 9 November. We already have 30 teams signed up for the self-run, nationwide quiz, all ready to raise funds to support access to advice for all as part of National Pro Bono Week. We will supply the questions, and posters for you to use to advertise your quiz night wherever you want; in a local pub, your office, the charity where you volunteer, or just at home- all you need to do is sign up!
 
If you were hoping to take part on behalf of a charity, you also have the option to use the Great Legal Quiz to fundraise 100% for the charity of your choice, or split the funds you raise 50% with the Eastern Legal Support Trust!
 
The Eastern Legal Support Trust was established to support the provision of free legal advice in the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk) in 2010 and the Great Legal Quiz is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference to the lives of many people, supporting the most vulnerable, for example, the elderly who need support to remain in their own homes through organisations such as Age UK. Since the recent cuts to legal aid have come into force, the number of Law Centres has decreased by 20%, and reduced household income for many working families has increased demand for free access to specialist legal advice. It is more important than ever that the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community have access to such support.
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends and family (you don’t need a legal brain to participate) to join us for an evening of quizzing and fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!


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It was the perfect summer evening on Monday 12 September, when over 50 members of the legal profession embarked on a 10km challenge to raise funds in support of access to justice in St Albans and East Anglia. Walkers followed the route which meandered across Verulamium Park and through the town’s sights, giving them the perfect opportunity to enjoy a lovely, sunny evening whilst showing their support for local legal advice services.
 
We had a grand total of 9 teams sign up with the biggest team of 13 walkers on the day coming from Taylor Walton LLP
 
A big congratulations also goes out to St Albans CAB, who topped the fundraising table, each raising over £800. This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to this team for pulling out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
Free legal advice services are often the last resort for local people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances without the means to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the St Albans Legal Walk, and the ELST as a whole will support organisations that work throughout the region and help thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
This event was kindly supported by Hertfordshire Law Society.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £3000 so far. Without your contribution the St Albans Legal Walk, the work of the ELST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before. 

It is time to lace up those walking shoes and start stretching as the St Albans
Legal Walk is almost upon us! There's still time for you to join and you can register here. 

We currently have 9 teams signed up and a total of 45 walkers, with our biggest team coming from Taylor Walton LLP, all raising vital funds to support access to advice for all.

Top of the fundraising table is the wonderful Rayden Solicitors team who have so far raised £360! This is a fantastic achievement and has played an important part of making this year’s St Albans Legal Walk bigger and better than ever before.

So far the Walk has raised just over £1,100 altogether. This is a great start but we still need everyone to continue fundraising as much as possible to support local advice charities.

The charities supported by the St Albans Legal Walk help thousands of people every year gain access to justice. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances but without the resources to pay for private legal advice. Without this charitable work many vulnerable people would be left alone to navigate the court and justice system without any advice or support.

We’re proud to have Citizens Advice St Albans District walking with us on Monday 12 September, who will be fundraising for their own organisation. Please help us to continue to support the vital work they do in the local community by raising as much as you can at the St Albans Legal Walk.

It looks set to be a fantastic event and this year we are running a raffle, so whether or not you are walking you can still take part! Please see here for more details.

A big thank you also to our wonderful sponsors Galio Jewellers and Sarah-J Coaching who are supporting and promoting our event. As we need sponsorship in order to be able to continue running our legal walk events their support is invaluable and key to continuing the work of the Eastern Legal Support Trust. Thanks also to the Hertfordshire Law Society, as well as the local businesses who have donated to the raffle this year.
 
See you all next week!

 The St Albans Legal Walk is just around the corner and as the days speed by the number of walkers continues to grow! We now have 8 teams and over 30 walkers committed to walking, running and sweating to support local advice agencies in their mission to ensure access to justice for all.

So far Taylor Walton LLP is leading in numbers with 12 walkers, if each of their team members raised £42 they would beat their fundraising target of £500 so please do sponsor them.

Raydens Solicitors must be following our fundraising tips to the letter! They have already raised over £340 and we hope they continue to build on this great start. Taylor Walton and Neves Solicitors LLP are hot on their heels, we’re hoping for some fierce competition for our top fundraiser spot!

Thank you to our sponsors Galio Jewellers and Sarah-J Coaching who are helping us all the way, without their support we couldn’t make the St Albans Legal Walk the fantastic success we know it’s going to be this year. Thanks also to our supporters, the Hertfordshire Law Society as well as Sweaty Betty, Lussmanns Fish & Grill, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Beer Shop St Albans for their raffle prize contributions.

We are expecting some warm late summer weather on 12 September, which will hopefully keep our walkers happy for their 10 km challenge.

We’re very excited to see you all there!

We are really excited about the St Albans legal walk coming up in less than 6 weeks on 12 September. We already have 5 teams signed up and ready to walk and raise funds to support access to advice for all. We are proud to have Claire Sharp, Chair of the Hertfordshire Law Society, as our lead walker. 

The Eastern Legal Support Trust has been established to support the provision of free legal advice in St Albans and Hertfortshire since 2010 and the St Albans legal walk is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to legal aid and the reduced household income for many working families due to the recession have increased the importance of free access to specialist legal advice for the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community.
 
Registration for the event will open from 5pm. The walk will start at 5:30. About two hours later walkers cross the finish line where refreshments will be gratefully received by thirsty walkers.
 
We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends, family, and why not dogs, to join us for an evening of walking and having fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!

It was the perfect summer evening on Monday 27 June, when over 70 members of the legal profession embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Ipswich and East Anglia. Walkers followed the route which meandered across Christchurch Park and through the town’s sights, giving them the perfect opportunity to enjoy a lovely, sunny evening whilst showing their support for local legal advice services.
 
We had a grand total of 12 teams sign up, with the biggest team on the day coming from Suffolk Law Advice Service.
 
A big congratulations also goes out to Suffolk Law Advice Service and Attwells Solicitors, who topped the fundraising table, each raising over £400. This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to these teams for pulling out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
The event was held in partnership with the ISCRE and Suffolk Law Advice Service who also joined the walk in order to fundraise for their organisation. The advice service is often the last resort for local people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances without the means to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Ipswich Legal Walk, and the ELST as a whole, will go to support the Law Advice Service as well as other organisations, that work throughout the region and help thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
This event was supported by our generous sponsors, Birketts and Suffolk and North East Law Society, who sponsored the welcoming finish line reception. Thanks also to Nick Barber Architects for sponsoring some well-deserved mid-way ice creams!
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £1790 so far. Without your contribution the Ipswich Legal Walk and the work of the ELST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before.