welfare solicitor in Southend on sea Area

kcuvad

Hello everybody,

Ive got an appeal on my pip coming up soon. I think i might need arguments on case law but not sure. Ive had a search on the internet but all the welfare solicitors are coming up in far away areas and im not that mobile.

Just wondering if anybody knows of a solicitor near Southend who deals with benefits etc

Thanks in advance if anybody knows of one,

Danday

There you go, 45 of them

http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/search/results?LocationId=southend-on-sea&Location=Southend-on-Sea&Pro=False&UmbrellaLegalIssue=LIUSWB&LegalIssue=LIBEN&Language=

Ames

kcuvad wrote: »

Hello everybody,

Ive got an appeal on my pip coming up soon. I think i might need arguments on case law but not sure. Ive had a search on the internet but all the welfare solicitors are coming up in far away areas and im not that mobile.

Just wondering if anybody knows of a solicitor near Southend who deals with benefits etc

Thanks in advance if anybody knows of one,

You shouldn't have to pay for a solicitor for a normal first tear tribunal. Have you tried getting help from CAB, DIAL or a charity that deals with your condition?

fryedslyce

kcuvad wrote: »

Hello everybody,

Ive got an appeal on my pip coming up soon. I think i might need arguments on case law but not sure. Ive had a search on the internet but all the welfare solicitors are coming up in far away areas and im not that mobile.

Just wondering if anybody knows of a solicitor near Southend who deals with benefits etc

Thanks in advance if anybody knows of one,

Try https://pipinfo.net/ a very useful site that has relevant case law for all the descriptors.

Danday

Ames wrote: »

You shouldn't have to pay for a solicitor for a normal first tear tribunal. Have you tried getting help from CAB, DIAL or a charity that deals with your condition?

I agree and up until the government put an end to free legal advice for all, you could get a free solicitor to do all of the work for you.
With that income stream stopped, the likes of the CAB and it's legal eagles had to stop.

CAB, if you can manage to get an appointment that is, is OK for advice. Anything beyond that you will have to seek professional legal advice and help at your cost.

As for the other charities that you mention being any better than CAB, then no they too are in the same position.

At the end of the day and unless you yourself are able to prepare a written submission and put your own case before the Tribunal, it simply means that if you have the money then you get the best legal advice.

Personally, I have no faith in any of these charities including CAB in doing anything more than offering advice only.

NeilCr

Do you actually live in Southend?

If so, I'd go to CAB.

https://www.citizensadvicesouthend.org.uk/?page_id=259

They've got a contract with the local council to offer specialist welfare benefits advice so looks like a good starting point.

What a CAB can do will depend on their funding and contracts. Some do have solicitors available in certain areas of specialisation, some have employment advisers, some have welfare benefit specialists etc

Alice_Holt

NeilCr wrote: »

I'd go to CAB.

They've got a contract with the local council to offer specialist welfare benefits advice so looks like a good starting point.

What a CAB can do will depend on their funding and contracts........some have welfare benefit specialists

Thanks, Neil. If the OP is still around this is likely to be his best bet.

OP - Danday is incorrect in asserting that all CAB's are unable to offer Benefit Casework.
My local CAB offers this - and can represent vulnerable clients through their PIP / ESA appeals etc.

kcuvad

Hello and thank you for the replies.

I have prepared what I think is a good submission but I worry a lot. All the news on facebook and on the internet from organisations that are into this sort of thing is that its quite complicted with case law appeals and so on. I have used an organisation called benefits and work for all the advice and I think they are pretty good and my submissions are as good as I can do.

I think my case might need to rely on case law and I have found relevant decisions from the upper tier tribunal but im not to sure if I should go in quoting case law or not ? But a solicitor could do that for me is my thinking.

I think that for the peace of mind it might be worth using a benefits solicitor .

Thanks for the advice so far and any further advice.

Alice_Holt

If the case law is relevant, then there is no harm in quoting the UT case reference.
I would also suggest printing a summary of the ruling from the internet and attaching that to the submission (easily found by googling the case ref).
(However, the tribunal judge should be well versed in relevant UT rulings).

TBH, following the abolition of legal aid for benefit appeals the only "benefit solicitor" you are likely to find (outside of your local CAB) may charge you a % of the benefit if successful.

Do bear in mind that the verbal evidence you give at the hearing is very important.
Have examples / a diary to back up your submission, which you use as an aide memoire on the day when giving verbal evidence.
Relevant evidence from your GP / other HCP / family / carer / etc can also be useful in tipping the balance of evidence in your favour.

If you've followed the appeal guidance from B & W, you should already have a strong submission.
TBH, I would doubt if paying for a benefits solicitor would add much. Get a few people to proof read your submission. The best are diriect, concise and clearly demonstrate why the benefit should be awarded referencing the descriptors, examples from day-to-day life, and medical (or other) evidence.

These are also useful info sources:
https://www.advicenow.org.uk/guides/how-win-pip-appeal

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665635/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-assessment-criteria.pdf

NeilCr

Alice knows far more than me about this. But, my partner was our CAB benefits adviser for many years before the changes in legal aid (that was a good idea not - so detrimental to clients) and she was very good at it. She was successful in pretty much all of her Tribunal cases. And she isn't a solicitor but she was very experienced.

Benefits and Work information is good. Maybe get in contact with Southend CAB and go in for a chat and a run through of what you are intending to say? Otherwise, as Alice says, a couple of common sense friends to run their eyes over your submission.

Good luck!

ETA.

I know in our area finding a benefits solicitor is nigh on impossible. Unfortunately, Danday's list appears to be a generic solicitors one - it gives no indication if they will take on welfare benefits work - as requested by the OP

kcuvad

Thank you Alice and Neil ,

The advice I was following was that oral evidence is very important and after taking 3 weeks to prepare my appeal it was submitted, so fast forward to now (7 months later ) ive not heard anything and not done anything further except reading up on as much as I can. My plan was to do a written submission as soon as I received the date ( I said to give 2 weeks notice ) Ive just found out that I should have done any written submission within a month of receiving the appeal bundle . Ive two options now either

1/ just go and give oral evidence only (but with notes )

2/ do a written submissin and ask them to accept it on the day but would they accept that ?

thanks again Alice and neil