The purpose of the Firm is to carry on a general legal practice primarily serving the Canning Town community and with an office in Canning Town serving the remainder of the London Borough of Newham and surrounding London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Greenwich. The work of the practice is biased towards Public Funded work and in particular Crime, Housing, Mental Health, Family including Domestic Violence, Personal Injury, Clinical Negligence, Actions Against the Police etc., Childcare, Immigration, Welfare Benefit & Debt, Community Care and Employment.” (Page 2 Hereward & Foster Office Manual).
What does this mean? It means that we are a Firm of Solicitors who have based ourselves in our local community and who seek to provide a quality legal service in areas of unmet legal needs in particular what is called the 'social welfare' areas of law.
The philosophy and aims of the Firm have remained consistent since the Firm was first set up on 1st May 1983:
- To provide a comprehensive legal aid service in that area of Newham with the greatest unmet legal need.
- To provide such a service to 'City standards' i.e. to the standard that a private business client would expect from a City firm.
- To promote as far as possible good working relationships within the Firm characterised by equal respect and an effective Equal Opportunities Policy and to provide good working conditions and by the encouragement of Unionisation within the Firm to prevent exploitation of staff.
- To use so far as possible modern office technology and business equipment to ensure efficiency.