It’s not often you hear the words ‘free’ and ‘lawyer’ in the same sentence, so a new pop-up legal clinic is being hailed as a godsend for cash-strapped parents.

Government changes mean fewer people qualify for legal aid, so advice about the law relating to children on offer at The Family Duty Clinic at Oxford County Court in St Aldate’s is a real bonus.

Run by Family First Solicitors and other local firms, the sessions are held from 9am-4pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

Free advice and court representation is available to anyone who has a court hearing that day, as long as it relates to The Children Act. Family First’s managing director Ursula Rice, who came up with the idea last year, has joined forces with fellow Oxford solicitors Challenor Gardiner and Hedges Law plus Regler & Company in Chinnor and Abingdon-based Franklins.

The clinic, which has just won the National Pro Bono Centre award, operates on a first-come, first-served basis and clients have 45 minutes with the solicitor on duty.

Ursula pointed out: “Family cases tend to be hugely emotional – these are burning issues and people are crushed by divorce and arguments over the children. “Mainly, these focus on residence and contact with the child, in terms of how often, when and other issues.

“The cost of hiring a solicitor to go to a first hearing might be anything from £500-1,000 so clients are very grateful and surprised to get this free advice at what is a time of great need.”

Another area of law where it’s possible to save cash if you know how, is writing a will. It’s easy to buy ready-made wills in high street shops now and if properly witnessed and filled in, they are legally binding. But, as with any legal document, many of us prefer to have a qualified solicitor involved and that’s where it can get expensive.

Fees for drafting a will vary hugely from firm to firm and although many offer a set price to keep costs down, you could be looking at hundreds of pounds. That’s why, if you belong to a trade union, it’s worth asking if they offer a will-making service. Many of the leading ones, including some teaching unions and Unison, include it as a membership perk.

Failing that, if you’re over 55 and don’t mind waiting until October, you could take advantage of Free Wills Month at freewillsmonth.org.uk The scheme, which also happens in March, puts you in touch with a local solicitor who will update or draft your will free of charge.

You’re encouraged to donate to charity as a thank you but you choose how much and if you are a couple, as long as one of you is over 55, you qualify. A similar scheme which runs during November is Will Aid at www.willaid.org.uk/ which, in the 25 years since it started, has helped a quarter of a million people make their will.

Sounds dead good, doesn’t it?