GLC solicitor Lorraine Barrie goes to NYC to help HIV+ clients in Brooklyn

Govanhill Law Centre solicitor Lorraine Barrie has taken a period of leave to commence a temporary volunteer position with South Brooklyn Legal Services (SBLS) in New York City.

SBLS is a free legal resource for low income Brooklyn residents, and provides advice on subjects including employment, consumer law, domestic violence, mortgage repossession, and benefits. Lorraine will work for their HIV project to enforce legal rights for HIV+ clients.

Project successes include an award of $10,000 for a client whose confidentially was breached when a Social Security Administration employee revealed her HIV status to a family member without her consent.

Lorraine said: “I wanted to work for an organisation committed to challenging injustice and poverty, similar to Govan Law Centre. I am particularly interested in access to civil justice, and look forward to comparing the experiences of clients in New York to those in Glasgow”.

Lorraine will be writing about her work via a blog (details will be given here shortly). She will return to her post at Govanhill Law Centre in January 2011.