Visitors and legal advisors: constructive relationships
If the person has a solicitor or an accredited immigration advisor, it is essential that any contact between them and the visitor is constructive, and nothing is done that could undermine the relationship between the representative and their detained client. “A visitor who is engaged in advising or assisting a person in detention with the same matter upon which a lawyer is acting for the client risks breaking the relationship between client and lawyer.” [1]
As a visitor, your relationship with a person in detention's solicitor may be one of actively working in partnership or more likely will take the form of occasional contact. A solicitor does not have an obligation to take your calls or provide you with any information on the work they are doing (or not doing) for their client. As a visitor you are not their client, and they will likely be pushed for time to provide an update or discuss a case with you. If you can provide them with support or assistance that they need, perhaps gathering essential information for them that they are no longer funded under legal aid to collect, then they are more likely to make time to speak to you or will write to you.
Understanding each other’s roles is central to being able to work in harmony for the benefit of the detained person.
Resource Tip These notes from a previous AVID conference were made available by ILPA on how visitors and lawyers can work together - https://ilpa.org.uk/how-visitors-and-lawyers-may-work-together-june-2008/. Some suggested ways that visitors can support lawyers are:
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[1] ILPA, (2008), How visitors and lawyers may work together. Notes accompanying a discussion at AVID coordinators conference 2008.
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