Personal Insolvency Litigation Advice and Representation Scheme (PILARS)

About 20,000 creditors’ bankruptcy petitions are presented against individuals each year. Many of those individuals cannot afford legal advice or representation and legal aid is rarely available.

On 8 June 2006, the Personal Insolvency Litigation Advice and Representation Scheme (PILARS) was launched with the aim of providing free representation for debtors in bankruptcy cases.

PILARS currently offers free representation in the High Court to clients who are not entitled to public funding (legal aid) in creditors’ bankruptcy proceedings, applications to set aside statutory demands and applications to annul bankruptcy orders. It operates by matching volunteer barristers with unrepresented litigants.

The scheme has the strong support of the Bankruptcy Registrars and High Court Judges. Sir Andrew Morritt, the Chancellor of the High Court, recently referred to the scheme in the following terms: ‘I strongly support the scheme as filling a long felt need for proper representation and advice for those facing bankruptcy proceedings. I commend the scheme to the Bar’.

On 8 October 2007, the Bar Pro Bono Unit took over the administration of the scheme. The scheme is operated in partnership with the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau and any interested clients should approach them first. Clients who want to be considered for representation under the PILARS scheme should attend one of the Bankruptcy Court Advice sessions run by advisors from the RCJ Advice Bureau.

The RCJ Advice Bankruptcy Court Advice Desk is located in:

Room TM13 (near Court 52)

First Floor

Thomas More Building

Royal Courts of Justice

The Advice Desk is open Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and clients are seen on a ‘first come first served basis’

For further information, please follow the link: www.pilars.org