Post by nickd on Jan 22, 2012 8:49:06 GMT 1
Not someone you would normally associate with a social conscience
But does it run in the blood?
Possessing a social conscience is not something you would normally associate with Jonathon Djanogly; - the justice minister has shown little sign of recognising the need for social welfare legal aid in the legal aid, sentencing & punishment of offender's bill reforms currently going through Parliament. Ken Clarke's right hand man has steadfastly refused to accept their is a need for essential social welfare legal aid when it comes to issues such as welfare benefits, employment or clinical negligence. Other areas such as housing, debt and family are all being dramatically scaled back too. It's very much counter to the admirable aims of his father it seems..
Given the age old adage 'like father like son' - it comes as a bit of a surprise to see how the justice minister's father - the very wealthy Sir Harry Djanogly - sees social responsibility as integral to the aims of The Djanogly Foundation, it's certainly not how his son promotes social justice when in Parliament. Here are the foundation's key objectives:
Objectives
"The charity holds an investment fund, managed as an endowment fund, income from which is used in the making of grants. Subject to a minimal level of administrative costs, the objective is that over a period of time, income and grant making expenditure will be in balance. In accordance with the charity's objectives, these grants are to sponsor developments in medicine, education, social welfare and the arts. Grants will also be made to fund projects to relieve distress and to promote the welfare of the aged and the young."
I am intrigued; - if not a little curious
It seems Sir Harry's got his finger well and truly on the pulse when it comes to social welfare, especially when it comes to relieving distress among the young and aged. The foundation has an investment fund of around £9.6 million (as of the 5th April 2010) which it sees as prudent in relation to the foreseeable future funding commitments that are likely to be made.
www.charityperformance.com/charity-details.php?id=13357
Sir Harry Djanogly and his city academy actively encourages students to take up a career in the legal profession and has teamed up with Freeth Cartwright LLP.
Trainee solicitors at Freeth Cartwright LLP have teamed up with Djanogly City Academy. They provide subject-specific support and careers guidance to students studying GCSE and A-Level Law as part of their innovative ‘Solicitors in Schools' scheme.
"Highly commended" by the Nottingham Business in the Community Awards 2009, the scheme involves all law classes (years 10, 11, 12 and 13). Each class sees 2 trainee solicitors every 6 weeks. A "real world" link to legal theory taught in class, the trainee solicitors offer practical examples of how the law applies, and try to facilitate understanding of legal concepts. They are regularly quizzed by students not only on their work, but also on how to succeed in the commercial world. The trainee solicitors hope to encourage more students to consider a professional career.
www.freethcartwright.co.uk/CSR
It all sounds great, although the alarm bells tend to ring whenever you see an emphasis on promoting career minded students in to the commercial world; - it's all too often incompatible with any sense of social responsibility. Although Freeth Cartwright definitely seem to be heading in the right direction when in pursuit of social justice for those who need it most...
FREETH CARTWRIGHT SOLICITORS TAKE TO THE ROAD
"Six brave solicitors from regional heavyweight law firm Freeth Cartwright, are taking to the road today (16th May) to raise funds for law centres and other legal advice charities based in the Midlands.
Lily Toop, Elizabeth Wildhaber, Chris Golland, Rachel Fletcher, Robert Hill and Felicity Fisher are hoping to complete the 10k walk.
The idea of the walk is to raise money for advice agencies that are under threat to enable them to provide services to enable ordinary people to have access to justice. In the Midlands there is an existing trust that is extremely well run and which has already raised funds for a law centre in Birmingham and another in Chesterfield.
In September 2008 the first 10k Midland legal walk took place, based on the hugely successful 10k London Legal Support Trust Walk. The Midland walk raised over £12,000. The walk attracted over 200 walkers from across the legal profession. The funds raised have been distributed to support a number of agencies in the voluntary sector, including a project to assist those individuals who face repossession of their homes.
A webpage has been set up for Freeth Cartwright by Midland Legal Support Trust where people can make donations"
www.charitygiving.co.uk/freethcartright
A bit about Freeth Cartwright
"A different kind of law firm . . . answers not options.
Freeth Cartwright is one of the UK's leading national law firms, operating from offices in Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Stoke"
www.freethcartwright.co.uk/Home
A look at their website tells us that the large law firm is already on to potential clinical negligence claims for the victims of failed PIP implants and hot on the trail when it comes to advising on a host of issues arising out of large numbers of employment law related redundancies as austerity cuts strangle the nation.
Analysis
Given Djanogly's obvious and close ties with his father, you can't help but wonder why we have Sir Harry being well and truly committed to the promotion of social justice and yet his son seems to pay a scant disregard to the same; - there's a distinct incompatibility in values somewhere along the line.
Let's face it, large law firms such as Freeth Cartwright estimated to have a fee generating income of in excess of £30 million are set to do quite well in recessionary times. It's therefore right in my humble view that they have some sense of social responsibility, but isn't it all just too much of a mere token gesture?
The odd bit of pro-bono work here and there, sponsored walks and so forth are all admirable, but they just don't generate enough income to provide for the void in funding if government gets its way and cuts so many areas out of scope in the key areas of social welfare law legal aid so often fingered as vital in a decent society by ardent campaigners such as Lord Bach. Why doesn't Djanogly put his foot down and follow in his father's footsteps by promoting adequate levels of social justice protection for those who need it most?
Indeed, the minister has it in his power to go a step further and insist through proper legislation that profitable law firms contribute towards the continuance of the Community Legal Service enacted under the Access to Justice Act of 1999 by stumping up the cash out of the interest which bears on their very healthy client accounts? - why does the minister not look more constructively at this suggestion? - it was put forward sometime ago by Justice for All in their consultation response.
The sceptic in me rather hopes that this isn't yet another stunt by the ever controversial justice minister in giving his father a helping hand in furthering what is obviously a successful city academy programme. We all know the academy programme is very much part of the Conservative party agenda originally created by Margaret Thatcher back in the 1980's in the guise of business sponsored City Technology Colleges (CTC'S). It is from a CTC that Sir Harry Djanogly went on to transition his educational venture in to its current City Academy status.
Academies have been compared to US charter schools, which are publicly funded schools largely independent of state and federal control.
It would certainly earn the justice minister a good few brownie points in helping government with its academy programme; - I wonder if they will make social welfare law part of the education agenda.
Thought provoking stuff I would say.
But does it run in the blood?
Possessing a social conscience is not something you would normally associate with Jonathon Djanogly; - the justice minister has shown little sign of recognising the need for social welfare legal aid in the legal aid, sentencing & punishment of offender's bill reforms currently going through Parliament. Ken Clarke's right hand man has steadfastly refused to accept their is a need for essential social welfare legal aid when it comes to issues such as welfare benefits, employment or clinical negligence. Other areas such as housing, debt and family are all being dramatically scaled back too. It's very much counter to the admirable aims of his father it seems..
Given the age old adage 'like father like son' - it comes as a bit of a surprise to see how the justice minister's father - the very wealthy Sir Harry Djanogly - sees social responsibility as integral to the aims of The Djanogly Foundation, it's certainly not how his son promotes social justice when in Parliament. Here are the foundation's key objectives:
Objectives
"The charity holds an investment fund, managed as an endowment fund, income from which is used in the making of grants. Subject to a minimal level of administrative costs, the objective is that over a period of time, income and grant making expenditure will be in balance. In accordance with the charity's objectives, these grants are to sponsor developments in medicine, education, social welfare and the arts. Grants will also be made to fund projects to relieve distress and to promote the welfare of the aged and the young."
I am intrigued; - if not a little curious
It seems Sir Harry's got his finger well and truly on the pulse when it comes to social welfare, especially when it comes to relieving distress among the young and aged. The foundation has an investment fund of around £9.6 million (as of the 5th April 2010) which it sees as prudent in relation to the foreseeable future funding commitments that are likely to be made.
www.charityperformance.com/charity-details.php?id=13357
Sir Harry Djanogly and his city academy actively encourages students to take up a career in the legal profession and has teamed up with Freeth Cartwright LLP.
Trainee solicitors at Freeth Cartwright LLP have teamed up with Djanogly City Academy. They provide subject-specific support and careers guidance to students studying GCSE and A-Level Law as part of their innovative ‘Solicitors in Schools' scheme.
"Highly commended" by the Nottingham Business in the Community Awards 2009, the scheme involves all law classes (years 10, 11, 12 and 13). Each class sees 2 trainee solicitors every 6 weeks. A "real world" link to legal theory taught in class, the trainee solicitors offer practical examples of how the law applies, and try to facilitate understanding of legal concepts. They are regularly quizzed by students not only on their work, but also on how to succeed in the commercial world. The trainee solicitors hope to encourage more students to consider a professional career.
www.freethcartwright.co.uk/CSR
It all sounds great, although the alarm bells tend to ring whenever you see an emphasis on promoting career minded students in to the commercial world; - it's all too often incompatible with any sense of social responsibility. Although Freeth Cartwright definitely seem to be heading in the right direction when in pursuit of social justice for those who need it most...
FREETH CARTWRIGHT SOLICITORS TAKE TO THE ROAD
"Six brave solicitors from regional heavyweight law firm Freeth Cartwright, are taking to the road today (16th May) to raise funds for law centres and other legal advice charities based in the Midlands.
Lily Toop, Elizabeth Wildhaber, Chris Golland, Rachel Fletcher, Robert Hill and Felicity Fisher are hoping to complete the 10k walk.
The idea of the walk is to raise money for advice agencies that are under threat to enable them to provide services to enable ordinary people to have access to justice. In the Midlands there is an existing trust that is extremely well run and which has already raised funds for a law centre in Birmingham and another in Chesterfield.
In September 2008 the first 10k Midland legal walk took place, based on the hugely successful 10k London Legal Support Trust Walk. The Midland walk raised over £12,000. The walk attracted over 200 walkers from across the legal profession. The funds raised have been distributed to support a number of agencies in the voluntary sector, including a project to assist those individuals who face repossession of their homes.
A webpage has been set up for Freeth Cartwright by Midland Legal Support Trust where people can make donations"
www.charitygiving.co.uk/freethcartright
A bit about Freeth Cartwright
"A different kind of law firm . . . answers not options.
Freeth Cartwright is one of the UK's leading national law firms, operating from offices in Birmingham, Derby, Leicester, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham and Stoke"
www.freethcartwright.co.uk/Home
A look at their website tells us that the large law firm is already on to potential clinical negligence claims for the victims of failed PIP implants and hot on the trail when it comes to advising on a host of issues arising out of large numbers of employment law related redundancies as austerity cuts strangle the nation.
Analysis
Given Djanogly's obvious and close ties with his father, you can't help but wonder why we have Sir Harry being well and truly committed to the promotion of social justice and yet his son seems to pay a scant disregard to the same; - there's a distinct incompatibility in values somewhere along the line.
Let's face it, large law firms such as Freeth Cartwright estimated to have a fee generating income of in excess of £30 million are set to do quite well in recessionary times. It's therefore right in my humble view that they have some sense of social responsibility, but isn't it all just too much of a mere token gesture?
The odd bit of pro-bono work here and there, sponsored walks and so forth are all admirable, but they just don't generate enough income to provide for the void in funding if government gets its way and cuts so many areas out of scope in the key areas of social welfare law legal aid so often fingered as vital in a decent society by ardent campaigners such as Lord Bach. Why doesn't Djanogly put his foot down and follow in his father's footsteps by promoting adequate levels of social justice protection for those who need it most?
Indeed, the minister has it in his power to go a step further and insist through proper legislation that profitable law firms contribute towards the continuance of the Community Legal Service enacted under the Access to Justice Act of 1999 by stumping up the cash out of the interest which bears on their very healthy client accounts? - why does the minister not look more constructively at this suggestion? - it was put forward sometime ago by Justice for All in their consultation response.
The sceptic in me rather hopes that this isn't yet another stunt by the ever controversial justice minister in giving his father a helping hand in furthering what is obviously a successful city academy programme. We all know the academy programme is very much part of the Conservative party agenda originally created by Margaret Thatcher back in the 1980's in the guise of business sponsored City Technology Colleges (CTC'S). It is from a CTC that Sir Harry Djanogly went on to transition his educational venture in to its current City Academy status.
Academies have been compared to US charter schools, which are publicly funded schools largely independent of state and federal control.
It would certainly earn the justice minister a good few brownie points in helping government with its academy programme; - I wonder if they will make social welfare law part of the education agenda.
Thought provoking stuff I would say.