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Supporting the Legal Team
Although lawyers will not be prepared to speak about the details of the client's case to anyone else, most sympathetic lawyers will wish to retain close contact with any organisation that has their client's best interests at heart. Moreover, they may wish to rely on you to get things done that they do not have the knowledge or resources to do themselves.
Sometimes several solicitors will be acting for different defendants. Unless you are able to help them with an overview of what happened when and where during the course of the whole event, individual solicitors may never get the full picture. It is very important, for example, for them to know which arrests may be linked with each other. Accurate information about the time and location of arrests will be very helpful when defence lawyers seek film or photographs of the event from journalists who covered it. It is best to get this overview completed when events are fresh in everyone's mind and you have willing supporters to help.
Preparing Material for Defendants and their Solicitors
At the earliest opportunity - within a few days of the defendants' meeting - organisers should marshal all the material they have at their disposal and make it available to defendants and their lawyers. This will include brief accounts of the following matters:
Sometimes several solicitors will be acting for different defendants. Unless you are able to help them with an overview of what happened when and where during the course of the whole event, individual solicitors may never get the full picture. It is very important, for example, for them to know which arrests may be linked with each other. Accurate information about the time and location of arrests will be very helpful when defence lawyers seek film or photographs of the event from journalists who covered it. It is best to get this overview completed when events are fresh in everyone's mind and you have willing supporters to help.
Preparing Material for Defendants and their Solicitors
At the earliest opportunity - within a few days of the defendants' meeting - organisers should marshal all the material they have at their disposal and make it available to defendants and their lawyers. This will include brief accounts of the following matters:
- Facts about the event itself - who you are, how you prepared for the event, negotiations with the police before and at the event, who spoke for the organisation, who represented the police
- What conditions were imposed/agreed
- What steps were taken by police/organisers to publicise conditions
- Whether any conditions were broken
- Include a map of the route showing, if possible, location and time of arrests
- Also reports - in the form of brief statements - where stewards and legal observers have made observations about the event that might be relevant.
- Include telephone numbers to enable lawyers to contact individuals directly if their evidence may be helpful.
- A full list of defendants' names, addresses and telephone numbers, including, if possible, time and location of arrest, police station taken to, offence they are charged with, and the date and venue of first court appearance. If defendants are happy to supply passport-sized photographs of themselves (or wanted you to take photographs at the defendants' meeting), you can include a photocopied sheet with them all on.
- A full list of witnesses' names, addresses and telephone numbers, marked (if known) with the names of the defendants whose arrest they saw.
- A list of media representatives - especially photographers and television news teams - who you think were at the event. A useful source is the bylines on media coverage - this can be followed up on the Internet or in the local library without having to buy all the newspapers. Wherever a news story might be helpful it should be circulated. You might also include the list of organisations to which you sent your press release. Lawyers may then be able to follow up whether they had anyone at the event.
- A list of defence solicitors, so you know whom to circulate information to. It will also help solicitors to communicate with each other if they know who else is being represented by whom.
