Veterans’ support project ‘best in Wales’

Veterans Legal Link case worker Megan Perrins (centre) accepting the award on behalf of the team at the award ceremony in London on 4 December 2024, with event host and political commentator Tamara Cohen and Vice President of the Law Society of England and Wales, Mark Evans. 

A project supporting veterans has been named the best legal support project in Wales at an awards ceremony in London.

Based at Aberystwyth University’s Department of Law & Criminology, Veterans Legal Link gives free legal advice and assistance to military veterans and their families throughout Wales. 

The project won the award for the Best Pro Bono Contribution in Wales at the LawWorks Pro Bono Awards 2024, which were held at the Law Society in London on 4 December.  

The annual awards celebrate the work of individuals and organisations who volunteer their services for free and the positive impact they have had on those helped. 

Founded in 2015 by the Head of the Department of Law and Criminology Dr Ola Olusanya, Veterans Legal Link is approaching its tenth anniversary. 

The project is led by solicitor Victoria Knapp and legal case worker Megan Perrins.  They work alongside Aberystwyth University students and postgraduates, and a team of researchers and software developers who contribute to access to justice for veterans in a number of different sectors.

Victoria Knapp said:

“We are delighted to receive this award from LawWorks in recognition of our efforts to support those who have served and who are suffering as a direct consequence. We are grateful to the many lawyers who volunteer their time, and to the National Lottery for supporting the project and ensuring it can continue to provide essential help and advice.  The team would like to dedicate the award to our good friend and teammate Simon Marshall, who we sadly lost earlier this year.

“This has been our busiest year since our inception, and we have seen substantial demand for the service.  We anticipate that the demand will only increase, and we look forward to those challenges and reaching our 10-year milestone in January 2025.”

Commenting on the awards winners, Rebecca Wilkinson, the Chief Executive of LawWorks, said:

"The LawWorks Annual Awards are a highlight of our year; hearing the impact pro bono work makes on people’s lives continues to reaffirm our commitment to developing and supporting solicitors’ pro bono work within the access to justice ecosystem. We are so proud of the work of our member organisations, and the individual solicitors within them, who give up their time to help others."

Funded by the National Lottery, the Veterans Legal Link team helps hundreds of veterans with legal problems annually.  The project works with 40 partner organisations across Wales and the UK, including the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes, Veterans NHS Wales, Alabaré Christian Care & Support, Woody’s Lodge, The Salvation Army, and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA).

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