Hi, I feel like I have little right to add my wish list to AidPage having read some of the heart-rending plights of other users. I'm a UK barrister, and at 27 years old have most of the things in life that people could search a whole lifetime for and fail. I have two beautiful childen, the love of a good man, the health of my whole family, a roof over my head, and can pay my bills on time (usually!)
I decided to become a lawyer at 18, as I was pregnant, alone, unqualified and jobless. I worked my tail off, and eventually became qualified and very successful, in a top rated set. I now practice in family law, which, whilst not being particularly well paid, is extremely rewarding. Unfortunately, our current government in its infinite wisdom has decided to dock family legal aid to the point that barristers will seldom be hired for the more deserving cases where the client simply cannot afford representation. This has two consequences for my posting on AidPage:
1. I have a wealth of knowledge and specialist skill in family law that I will no longer be using. I anticipate that in the next year, hundreds, maybe thousands of very deserving individuals in need of representation in family law will, whilst technically qualifying for legal aid, be unable to find a solicitor to take their case, and if they do, they are unlikely to be referred to a specialist barrister, but will be represented "in-house" possibly by someone very junior, which may have disasterous effects for their case, which are amplified further by the important and personal subject matter of the litigation, eg whether your child is taken into care, whether your abuser can be excluded from your home, etc. I am happy to offer my advice to all for nothing, especially for those of you who are having difficulty finding decent representation in the legal aid pinch. All I ask is that you read point 2 and help in any way you can, if you can...
2. The dock in legal aid means I have a choice of losing approximately 80% of my income, moving away from family law, or changing direction altogether. I have opted for the latter. In my inimitable style of jumping in with both feet, I have decided to emigrate to Australia and fulfil my dream of opening an eco-tourism business - a fully self-sufficient and eco-friendly guesthouse/hotel, close to nature to offer not only an amazing holiday experience, but also to envelop people in new ideas and change their outlook on life for the better (and hopefully the 'eco-friendlier'). In order to set this up, I will need to find about £750k, which is going to be difficult with my imminent drop in income. This is where I hope you may be able to help. Yes, if you have a spare £750k floating around waiting for a good cause, then my all means let me know, but I am also interested in good ideas to add to the business plan, details of contacts in similar businesses, or small donations if you can afford it.
I look forward to reading your postings, and wish you luck, health and happiness.
All my love
Earthygirl x
