Social Welfare

We have a specialist Social Welfare Law Department which means that we can assist you with regard to Welfare Benefit, Housing and Debt queries. 

We are happy for you to contact us at one of our four offices or in the alternative, one of our network of outreach advice sessions which take place at local community centres/educational centres throughout South Wales.

Our work comprises:

• Housing
• Social Housing
• Welfare Benefits
• Debts/Money Advice

Department Personnel

Associate Solicitors

Carolyn Goodall has been a SQM Supervisor in the Social Welfare categories of Housing and Welfare Benefits for a number of years. She has also been a Specialist Support Services Adviser in the category of Housing since January 2004.

Carolyn’s interest in social welfare law started some 22 years ago, when Carolyn worked for the Unemployment Benefit Service for 10 years. She then went to university as a mature student where she was awarded the Journal of Law Society prize for her dissertation on “Social Security Law and the ideology of the New Right”.

She completed her training contract with Morgans Solicitors in 1997. Carolyn became the franchise supervisor for each of the three categories and remained so until leaving to work in the not for profit sector in 1999. Since then she has worked in both not for profit and private practice before returning to Morgans, on a full-time basis, in September 2003. Carolyn has substantial experience in Social Welfare Law, including Welfare Benefits, Debt and Housing. For the period 2000 to 2003, she was Welfare Benefits Supervisor for Harding Evans, Newport. She is a former member of the Law Society’s Housing Law Committee and provides external training in housing, for the Law School at Cardiff University.

Solicitors

Rhiannon Butler is an assistant solicitor. She completed a law degree at Cardiff University and gained a 2:1 Hons, as well as obviously completing the legal practice Course. She is committed to the practice of Social Welfare Law.

Rhiannon has substantial experience of providing distressed and vulnerable clients, with both non-contentious and contentious social welfare advice. Examples of her casework include advising with regard to benefit claims, revisions, supersessions and appeals including both tribunal and Social Security Commissioner appeals. She has experience of advising with regard to homelessness, disrepair, possession proceedings, allocations/transfers, unlawful evictions and housing benefit issues. She is also experienced with regard to money advice comprising, consumer credit, insolvency, debt enforcement, mortgage shortfalls and fraud.  Rhiannon undertakes her own advocacy and has provided CLS Direct telephone advice.

She is a member of the Cardiff and South East Wales Housing Law Forum.

Paralegal

Eugene Boyd is a paralegal with particular expertise in welfare benefits and debt. He is a LSC category Supervisor for both Welfare Benefits and Debt. He has been responsible for the supervision and training of other fee earners. Eugene also has responsibility for outreach advice services, thus enabling people who may not otherwise obtain legal advice to do so within their own community. As with our other advisers, he possesses substantial experience of assisting distressed and vulnerable clients. Examples of his casework include advising with regard to benefit claims, revisions, supersessions and appeals including both tribunal and Social security Commissioner appeals.  He is also experienced with regard to providing debt and housing advice comprising multiple debt problems, consumer credit, insolvency, debt enforcement, mortgage shortfalls, housing allocations/transfers, housing benefit and possession proceedings.