On Wednesday 5 March, PILA and NASC co-hosted 2 legal education sessions for a number of NGOs and voluntary organisations based in the wider Cork area. The sessions were presented by lawyers on the PILA Pro Bono Register. The day was very well-attended with full sessions for both events. Attendees came from around the country and included solicitors, as well as front line representatives from local organisations working in areas such as social housing, domestic violence and immigration.
The morning session, on Housing Law, was presented by solicitor Cian Moriarty. He discussed a number of different housing law issues particularly relevant to the organisations in attendance, including tenants’ entitlements, anti-social behaviour and eviction orders.
The afternoon session on Family Law was presented by solicitor Claire McCarthy. She discussed topics including maintenance and access and custody rights, family law in relation to survivors of domestic violence, separation and divorce, legal representation and access to free legal aid and translation. After her presentation, attendees engaged in discussion about family law and human rights issues in Direct Provision centres. They also discussed questions about unmarried fathers, grandparents, trans-national families, child abduction, and more.
PILA organises a number of legal education sessions, as well as seminars and roundtables on issues related to law reform in addition to our Pro Bono Referral Scheme service. The aim of these services is to enhance organisations’ capacity to use the law in promoting change. If you have any suggestions for future legal education sessions, please contact PILA Project Officer Mairead Healy at mairead.healy@flac.ie or 01 8728048.