NUI Galway’s Free Legal Advice Centre, run in conjunction with the NUIG Law Society, will be launched on Monday January 18.
The launch will be held in the D’Arcy Thompson Theatre in the university’s main concourse and a reception will follow on campus. Speakers attending the event will include Prof Gerry Whyte, lecturer in constitutional law at Trinity College Dublin, and FLAC director general Noeline Blackwell.
FLAC is an independent human rights organisation dedicated to “the realisation of equal access to justice for all”. It will campaign on a range of legal issues and will offer basic legal services to the public.
The topic for discussion at the launch will be: “Is access to justice in Ireland under threat in 2010?” This question is a genuine concern for many who are finding it difficult to access legal information in the midst of a recession.
The launch marks the beginning of the FLAC clinics which are to be held every Tuesday from 6pm until 7.30pm in the university’s newly renovated Aras na Mac Léinn. The clinics are aimed at students who require information on legal matters such as disputes with landlords, criminal offences, and employment rights.
The service will be provided by trained law students working under the supervision of a qualified solicitor. All information exchanged in the FLAC clinics will be strictly confidential in nature.
“FLAC is particularly pleased about the re-launch of the centre in NUIG,” said Noeline Blackwell. “It marks the rebirth of a tradition in providing basic legal information and advice on the campus that dates back to the late 1970s.”
