Blackhall Climbs Kilimanjaro in Aid of Access to Justice

In August 2024, 8 students training to be solicitors at the Law Society of Ireland will climb the highest mountain in Africa – Kilimanjaro. Our goal is to raise funds for and awareness of the Ballymun Community Law Centre, who perform incredible work throughout the community to ensure access to justice is available to all who need it.

Our goal is to raise 10,000 euro to equip the Community Law Centre with the necessary resources in order to provide legal services to the community and safeguard their commitment to ensuring access to justice for all.

In 2023 alone, Ballymun Community Law Centre answered 530 legal queries and provided 452 one-to-one consultations with a solicitor. The centre acts in areas of law that fall outside the protections of the Criminal Legal Aid and Civil Legal Aid schemes.

The following is a brief summary of both the Ballymun Community Law Centre and the fantastic work they carry out:

• Who? – An independent law centre based in Ballymun for over 21 years.

• Why? – The centres objective is to ensure everyone has access to justice.

• How? – The centre provides:

1) Legal Services – open-door legal clinics, legal advice helplines, legal representation, advocacy and legal information to empower the community.

2) Alternative Dispute Resolution Services – helping individuals to resolve conflicts through mediation, one-to-one conflict coaching and providing conflict resolution training in primary schools and youth clubs.

3) Legal Education – promoting law as a career path, better informing individuals of their rights through community legal information sessions and legal courses held throughout the year on various areas of law.

Where will the Funds Go?

The Law Centre operates on a small budget. Any money raised goes directly towards the provision of legal services in the community and helps ensure that when people turn to the Law Centre when under pressure, they have the resources to help. Supporting the law centre provides certainty that the work on access to justice can continue into the future.