What is Lawyers for Young People? We're a not-for-profit legal service for young people in the Colchester, Chelmsford and Basildon areas in Essex, set up by the law firm Fisher Jones Greenwood. It's a pilot project funded by the Legal Services Commission and pays for one full-time lawyer.

Why is it needed? There are a lot of solicitors who represent children going into care, but not many solicitors represent children and young people once they're in the care system, so one of the big focuses of this service is to provide a way for young people to get advice once they've been in care for some time.

What does your role involve? We provide drop-in services at youth groups and Citizens Advice Bureaux and go out to see young people in places where they want to be seen, such as at their foster placements, or with a youth worker. We frequently get referrals from advocates for young people and youth workers. If it's not an area of law we can help with, we can refer them to somebody else.

How did you get into this? I started my career in private practice and then worked in the not-for-profit sector. This is a not-for-profit service, so for me it was a case of amalgamating the two.

How would you like to see it develop?

We've proved that there is a large demand out there and an unmet need for legal services of this nature, particularly in relation to young people in care and other groups such as young Travellers, who find it particularly difficult to gain access to legal aid and additional services.

Young People Now's Leaving Care Conference takes place on 25 October in London. For more information, visit www.leavingcareconference.com or call Evelina Lye on 020 8267 4011.