How a social welfare solicitor helps – a CLAO perspective

Edinburgh CLAO solicitor Eilidh Meikle on how she can help her clients

I was delighted to secure a position as solicitor with CLAO in the summer of 2014.

I was coming to the end of an excellent traineeship with a multi-specialist firm in Edinburgh and was looking for a job that would allow me to assist vulnerable people when they needed it most.

I didn’t have much background in housing law but the Edinburgh team provided me with so much training and support that I soon got up to speed.

The work of a social welfare lawyer is varied.

We have eviction and housing disrepair cases in both the sheriff court and tribunal, mortgage repossession cases in the sheriff court and homeless judicial review cases in the court of session.

I enjoy speaking to the clients and working out pragmatic solutions – it is important to keep an open mind as there can be surprises along the way!

Our clients are often facing very difficult personal circumstances, and knowing that someone is relying on you to help them with complicated problems – including the prospect of homelessness – can mean working under pressure. But it also makes the job extremely rewarding.

Over the last few years the team has helped more people than I can count. I'm proud to say I've been part of that.