Greater Manchester residents are to gain access to free employment-related legal advice as part of a new service.
Employment Legal Advice, launched by The Growth Company in partnership with Citizens Advice Manchester and 10 law firms, has been designed to help workers in the city region hit hardest by the pandemic.
The service is being backed by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
Andy Brown, chief executive of Citizens Advice Manchester, said they have had a huge increase in enquiries during the pandemic “from people who need to know where they stand on employment law”.
“Understandably, these queries lead to additional stress and worry about keeping up with crucial bills, feeding families and the security of homes, so we are delighted to be working with the Growth Company and legal partners to deliver this vital service and help to put the minds of Manchester residents at rest,” he said.
Davis Blank Furniss, JMR Solicitors, Hattons Solicitors, Aaron and Partners and Glaisyers are among the law firms offering their services on a pro bono basis.
They are joined by firms Monarch, Linder Myers, Peach Law, Stephensons and Wrigley Claydon.
Enquiries will be passed on to a dedicated triage advisor, the partnership said, who will then review the case and decide on the correct pathway for the user, including whether to refer them to an expert from the network of legal partners.
Mark Hughes MBE, Growth Company chief executive, said: “At a time of increased redundancy and unstable employment having a service like Employment Legal Advice available for the people of Greater Manchester is more important than ever.
“By working closely with Citizens Advice Manchester and legal firms we are able to offer free legal advice to those in need. This sits alongside EmployGM which is a gateway service to help individuals with support, training and advice on securing new employment.”
Andy Burnham added: “One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that Greater Manchester is stronger when we all pull together.
“It’s absolutely vital that workers across our city region are aware of their employment rights in these uncertain times, so I fully endorse this free service and would encourage people to use it.”
