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Changing the model: Legal Plus aims at the 'missing middle' legal clients

  Changing the model: Legal Plus aims at the 'missing middle' legal clients  Geoff Adlam - Wed, 4 Nov 2020  This article was first published by  Capital Letter . For more information, please go to  www.capitalletter.co.nz . • legal services • access to justice • social enterprise •  Legal Plus A new not-for-profit Taranaki law firm is focusing on what founder Caroline Silk calls “the missing middle” – people who don’t walk through the door of a legal services provider because of their view of its accessibility and affordability.  The new direction Legal Plus is taking in legal services provision is shown by its website, which invites clients to pay what they can afford. “Most New Zealanders cannot actually afford the commercial rates lawyers charge, or they don’t meet the eligibility threshold for legal aid. We are focusing on a whole person and a well-being approach to what we do, and offering really flexible services,” says Silk.  She says Legal Plus funds the legal services
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The "why" behind the Legalpus team and our partners at the Accessible Justice & Wellbeing Trust

Here's the “why” behind what Caroline's doing that drives her every day, and what will eventually spark positive change to New Zealand’s justice system. Well, that’s the dream explored with the help of Favour The Brave. https://favourthebrave.nz/caroline-silk-legal-plus/
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Got a problem, but legal help too expensive or inaccessible? Getting stressed? You are not alone. We’ve heard and are here to help.

A recent New Plymouth survey highlighted too many people with legal issues cannot not afford legal help, and that too many don’t get early wellbeing or other support to deal with the accompanying stress. Feel familiar, don’t panic. At Legal Plus we are here to change this. The cost of legal services and limited accessibility/ capacity of Legal Aid and Community Law means many people realistically can’t access justice. The survey reinforces that alongside legal issues, people are stressed impacting their whānau, hauora (wellbeing) and finances –making things a whole lot worse. The majority of our survey respondents told us they knew someone who had not accessed the legal system in the last 3 years because of cost. 100% said they would be more likely to use legal services if they were more affordable. People also tell us their whānau, their friends and their work colleagues about the stresses they have alongside these issues. 57% of the survey respondents knew someone with legal issues t
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A big thanks to our community delivering Taranaki's not for profit legal and wellbeing services

At Legal Plus and the Accessible Justice & Wellbeing Trust we believe, in a fair Aotearoa New Zealand, that everyone deserves to get the affordable, accessible legal and wellbeing help they need. Pioneering affordable law and wellbeing support is not easy (or cheap!). Fortunately the challenge is resonating across business, community wellbeing organisations and individuals with generous commitments of time, materials, service discounts and expertise. Today’s blog acknowledges this awesome commitment from Taranaki individuals, community organisations and businesses. First thank you to the community organisations, participants at social justice and wellbeing workshops from the social services, legal, iwi and health communities, those leading justice and criminal system reform and the individual social/ health workers and defence lawyers at the coal face. Your amazing insights of the everyday pain people experience provide the objective (but heart rendering) evidence to back
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