Legal Advice Clinic

Sarah Atherton MP recently spoke in the House of Commons highlighting the injustices faced by women in the military.  She said they do not feel the military complaints system supports them.  Sarah Atherton wants to start a national conversation about how our women personal and veterans are treated and what should be done to improve their experiences while serving.  My colleague, Kate Roos, recently discussed this in her blog.

We know that women are overrepresented in the complaints system.  They made up 23% of all service complaints while only being 11% of the service strength.  (SCOAF Survey 2019).

Women are at risk of sexual violence while serving too.  35 female armed forces personnel reported being raped last year according The Sun newspaper.  Sarah Atherton has highlighted the work carried out by Forward Assist, a military charity, based in the North East.  Their sister organisation, Salute Her, are dedicated solely to supporting women service personnel and veterans.

Sadly, women are often forced to leave the military, either through a lack of support or sometimes the trauma of their experiences results in them to being medically no longer able to serve.  They do not have a voice and feel that justice has been denied to them, often by the military’s own system.  That is why Salute Her and Tom Spearpoint, a military specialist lawyer at Bolt Burdon Kemp have teamed up to offer a remote free legal advice clinic to women veterans.  The first clinic took place in October with another planned for January.  Here, women veterans are able to discuss their experiences in confidence to see what avenues are open to them to get the justice they seek.  While women veterans feel they are often let down by the military and left to navigate their future alone (No Man’s Land), Salute Her continue to be there for them as they transition to civilian life and often as they address trauma they experienced while serving.

For more information or to book an appointment, contact Salute Her or Tom Spearpoint, Bolt Burdon Kemp:

Email Paula Edwards – paula@forward-assist.com

Telephone – 0191 250 4877

Or

Email Tom Spearpoint – tomspearpoint@boltburdonkemp.co.uk

Telephone – 020 3973 5010

Tom Spearpoint is a senior solicitor in the Military Claims team at Bolt Burdon Kemp.  If you or a loved one have suffered an injury or you are concerned about the treatment you have received, contact Tom free of charge and in confidence on 020 3973 5010 or at tomspearpoint@boltburdonkemp.co.uk.  Alternatively, complete this form and one of the solicitors in the Military Claims team will contact you.  Find out more about the Military Claims team.