Essex Solicitors advise overseas lawyers

An Essex law firm that specialises in civil justice and legal aid cases will be sharing its expertise with a group of overseas lawyers and judges.

Solicitors at Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP in Colchester will be visited by lawyers and judges from Cameroon, Malawi, Uganda and the British Virgin Islands, looking to develop their civil justice systems.

The visit is part of a two week study programme organised by Public Administration International and headed by Professor Gavin Drewry, Professor of Public Administration in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of London. The programme includes seminars, discussions, practical work and visits.

As one of the region's leading civil justice and legal aid firms, Fisher Jones Greenwood has been chosen to provide a "hands-on" solicitor's input into the programme. The delegates will travel to Colchester and meet with Senior Partner Tony Fisher and Partner Chris Graves, who is also a member of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group National Committee.

Tony Fisher said: "We're delighted to have been chosen to support this study programme and share our years of experience in this area. We'll be speaking to the delegates about how we manage our business, the range of clients we deal with and how we overcome problems and obstacles. We'll also be looking at the practicalities of access to justice and legal aid.

"We hope the visitors will gain an insight into how the English system is managed on the frontline and how they can use our experiences to improve their own processes. I'm also looking forward to hearing how the system operates in other countries - I expect we'll learn something too!"

Photographed: overseas delegates studying "Access to Civil Justice: Efficiency, Affordability and Fairness" with FJG Partners front left Chris Graves, back row second from right Jane Wilson and Solicitor Glenn Craig far right.