NI: Belfast solicitor who took forward Widowed Parent’s Allowance challenge speaks at UK charity AGM
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Laura Banks
Belfast solicitor Laura Banks, who acted for Siobhan McLaughlin in her UK Supreme Court challenge to the rules governing the payment of a Widowed Parent’s Allowance, recently addressed members of UK charity Widowed and Young (WAY).
Ms Banks, of Francis Hanna & Co. Solicitors, and Ms McLaughlin jointly addressed the charity’s conference and AGM in Southampton on Saturday.
Around 160 members heard about the landmark challenge to eligibility for bereavement benefits for cohabiting parents, which led to Supreme Court justices ruling that it was unlawfully discriminatory to exclude children of unmarried parents in certain circumstances from bereavement benefits.
Ms Banks said: “It was an honour to speak at WAY’s annual conference and hear from members about the crucial and immeasurable support they receive from WAY. We are hugely grateful for the support WAY offered with our case.
“I would encourage anyone who has lost a partner to reach out to this charity and I hope to continue to working with them in the years ahead.”
Widowed and Young is a national UK charity offering a peer-to-peer support network for young widowed men and women aged 50 and under.
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