Keith Chipato has a general civil practice which includes housing, property, landlord and tenant (residential and commercial) and insolvency (personal and corporate). In celebration of Pro Bono Week, he discusses his experience of volunteering at Chelmsford Law Clinic.
Please tell us about the pro bono work you do
I dedicate one afternoon each month to volunteering at Chelmsford Law Clinic. There, I give free advice to people in housing and property law. I deal with a wide range of issues including landlord and tenant disputes, disrepair at rented property, service charges disputes and property ownership disputes.
What impact does the pro bono work have on the people and communities you worked with?
To answer that, it's probably easiest to include the kind comments one of the law clinic organisers wrote about me.
Keith has always been extremely professional, informed, helpful and a valuable part of the Chelmsford Law Clinic. Most recently we encountered a case of a leaseholder who has shared responsibilities for building repairs of a shared roof. The client has serious health problems, is unable to work and has been informed they are required to contribute and pay a large amount.
Keith provided advice that offered the client clear guidance through this difficult matter.
The client is extremely grateful for free legal advice which has made a positive impact on their health.
Did your pro bono work have an impact on your professional career? If so, in what ways?
Given time constraints and the workload at the clinic, my ability to communicate succinctly while reassuring anxious clients has improved significantly.
Any final comments
Providing legal advice to people who otherwise might be unable to access it and are certainly in need of it does give me a sense of fulfilment. Often people simply want to know what their legal rights are.
It’s also heartening to see how much of a difference I can make in people’s lives by giving back to the community.