The Solicitors’ Charity new Covid 19 Support Hub and £1,000,000 Personal Hardship Fund

  • 20/04/2020

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has created a challenging time for individuals and businesses alike. To help, The Solicitors’ Charity has created a support hub where you can find and access all the information you might need.

The Solicitors’ Charity (SBA) has announced it will also be accepting applications to a £1,000,000 Personal Hardship Fund designed to support solicitors who find themselves in serious financial difficulty, following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Together, these initiatives by the charity focus specifically on supporting all solicitors in times of need or crisis. They aim to alleviate and reduce some of the stress and worry that many in the legal profession are currently experiencing.

Once applications open, solicitors will be able to apply for Personal Hardship Fund support for reasons including;

  • Being placed on SSP due to self-isolation
  • If their employment status has been changed (and they are not supported by the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme)
  • If a person is self-employed, unable to practise and ineligible for Government help or can’t manage during the delay in the help getting to them.

The Personal Hardship Fund requires applicants to be on or have been on, the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales. It also focuses strongly on getting money to those most in need, and so requires applicants to have accessible savings within their household of less than £2,500. It is also expected that applicants will have taken advantage of available help such as mortgage payment holidays and will have started the process of applying for any applicable welfare benefits.

For more information on the Personal Hardship Fund, including eligibility and to see when applications to the fund have opened, please visit The Solicitors’ Charity COVID-19 Support Hub