Nevertheless

AN IMPORTANT ADDITION TO THE OVERALL PUBLIC LEGAL EDUCATION (PLE) INITIATIVE IN THE AGE OF AUSTERITY BECAUSE EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS

An appreciation by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers

This important book by John Kirkby is described as "the incredible story of one man's mission to change thousands of people's lives". He has.

It's a religious book which deals with debt and was first published in 2003 by Christian Against Poverty Books based in Bradford. And it is high time that a lawyer made a comment on the current mess which is bankruptcy law today- serving little useful purpose for anyone in most cases because of the jurisprudential negativity of the rules.

The reason this book is being reviewed is because we, as lawyers, often watch the full force of the final stages of debt restructuring when the courts take over - it often does not need to be like this at all, and the frustrations of lawyers and the judiciary can often be clearly seen because the law remains inadequate for the 21st century.

We feel Kirkby's stories remain all the more important for those suffering debt issues in an era when legal aid has all but gone, with austerity remaining high on the political agenda still, Brexit imminent and much uncertainty for the immediate future so do read them even though the views come from a religious perspective which may not be popular with some.

There is cross-party support in parliament for public legal education initiatives, and this work, "Nevertheless", should, in our view gives a series of basic advice points which will be of help to those who are in the most parlous financial state with the complete and utter lack of assistance which follows most court hearings. We hope it is also comforting for those with heavy worries on their shoulders.

It's time, as we approach the 2020s, that we see a little more blur sky political and legal thinking when it comes to the archaic insolvency rules which are incredibly one-sided in the eyes of some. Many have called for reform and, hopefully, sooner rather than later, different attitudes will prevail on the entire matter of indebtedness and how to alleviate the severity of the problem for the lowest earners in the society and the chronically poverty-stricken.

Although this title has been around for over a decade, it closely markets the charitable movement, "Christians Against Poverty" (CAP) which might be a bit disconcerting for some but it is an enduring title which has helped many.

Sadly, though, it could be a turn off for quite a few people with debt. The biggest benefit of the book is that it should be read as an additional source of help together with material from welfare law publishers such as CPAG and LAG for the more difficult problems.

But the updated title remains a wide, general advice text purely for readers who wish to get a better idea of this area of information and logical advice which Kirkby and CAP give so do take what bits help you with your own debt issues although it will not be every one… but it is of a positive informative help and that is the purpose.

The fourth edition was published in 2009 and all proceeds of the book go to CAP.