on the Guyana Legal Aid website

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According to statistics provided by the Guyana Legal Aid website, divorce cases take up 30 per cent of all cases presented to the clinic in Regions Two, Four, Five and Six between the period of January and September 2009.According to manager of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, Gaitrie Persaud, an average of 30 new clients attend the Georgetown Legal Aid Clinic daily.Persaud added that most of the cases are divorce and some can only be taken to advice because persons that seek the help of the clinic do not provide the necessary legal documents needed.Kaieteur News understands that added to the Georgetown cases, the majority of the cases for the month of September coming out of the Essequibo and Berbice Legal Aid Clinics also deal with divorce.On many occasions, according to Persaud, the individuals seeking the divorce are not legally married, and as such do not require the services of the Legal Aid Clinics.Between January and September, 32.7 per cent of the all interviews (not including those pertaining to criminal cases) in Regions Two, Four, Five and Six had to do with divorce matters, of which 50 per cent where granted representation by the Legal Aid Clinics.According to the statistics, on the Guyana Legal Aid website, only one person seeking the help of the Region Two Legal Aid Clinic between January and September of this year were deemed ineligible for the services provided.Custody and Access cases follow divorce matters with 25 per cent of the cases handled by the Legal Aid clinics in Regions Two, Four, Five and Six, while division and property follow with 20 per cent.The Legal Aid Clinics throughout Guyana seek to provide legal services to those who are unable to afford the fees of a lawyer. Anyone who seeks the services of the Legal Aid clinics are required to provide documents that prove they cannot afford legal services on their own.There are five legal aid clinics in Guyana; one in Essequibo, one in Georgetown, two in the Berbice area and one located in Linden.The Guyana Legal Aid was established in the 1970s but use of the facility was thereafter discontinued in 1983.It was however reopened in 1994 and has since then provided the underprivileged with the advice, and a means by which to seek council in a court matter.As of June last year Legal Aid Offices were expanded to Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten.Even though Region Ten (the Linden Legal Aid Office) is not government-funded it is Government supported; which means that the government directs the organisation to the UNICEF and USAID.The Essequibo, Berbice and Georgetown are all government-funded.