We’ve launched a new service for NHG residents that helps resolve complaints, disagreements and disputes with external organisations.
Run by Clare Manuel, an ex-government lawyer and mediator, The Justice Community specialises in getting everyday disputes resolved. They recognise that: "Even disputes worth £100 can be complex enough to require a bit of help. But getting a traditional law firm involved can be expensive and sometimes make things worse! So our first step is to put all our new customers onto a free seven-day programme, to see if we can help you to put the issue to bed quickly and easily. If that doesn’t work, and we need to look at legal action, then we can do that too, but much more cheaply than a law firm."
The team have previously helped:
- A bar worker pursue a claim for £4,000 in unpaid wages
- An employee of a major company who was bullied at work and then unfairly sacked
- A builder whose client refused to pay him £1,500 for a job he’d finished
Here are their top tips for turning difficult disagreements into fair solutions:
- Try to bring the issue to a close as quickly as possible. Emailing back and forth multiple times can just lead to the other side getting more entrenched into their argument
- Make sure you’re not getting pressured. It can be easy to be persuaded to accept a compromise for much less than you’re owed. A qualified lawyer can help you understand what you should settle for
- Remember that anything you write could be used as evidence against you. If a disagreement starts to get a bit more serious, then the other side could submit all your correspondence as evidence to a judge/tribunal. So be careful what you write!
So remember – no matter how small the issue, you can access professional advice.
The Justice Community’s services can be accessed via our Notting Hill Genesis Support Services directory, directly via The Justice Community's website or by contacting your Housing Officer.