If you do not have a local Law Centre where you live, you might still get help with your problem. Here are some sources of information and advice.
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Covid-19 Resources
General Advice
This is an online directory of advice available on legal aid basis. It can be searched by area of law and location.
Gov.UK (formerly DirectGov) is the Government's portal for public services. This section explains what is covered by legal aid and how eligibility for it is calculated.
This website provides diverse information, aiming to help you make sense of the law and your rights.
AdviceUK is a membership network for advice organisations, and their website has a useful help and advice section.
You may be able to access legal help through Advocate if you cannot afford to pay and cannot access legal aid. Applicants are now able to apply to Advocate directly and don't need their application to be signed off by a referral agency. You will need to complete this new online application form. Further details on how the process works as well as an update on how Advocate have adapted their services can be found on their website.
This links to a series of short online talks about how members of the public can instruct a barrister directly, and how to make the process cheaper and more effective.
This is a joint resource for people living or working in London who are seeking advice related to money worries, problems at work or benefits issues.
Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre
The School of Law at Queen Mary, University of London, offers free legal advice to any member of the public on a wide variety of areas. Advice is provided by law students under the supervision of a qualified lawyer. If they cannot advise you on your problem, they will signpost you to another appropriate organisation.
This group of 700 volunteers across England and Wales helps to meet the human, non-legal needs of people attending court alone.
Children and Education
CCLC is a national charity that promotes children's rights and provides advice on related matters.
Clinical Negligence
AvMA - Action Against Medical Accidents
AvMA is the UK charity for patient safety and justice, and advises people who are affected by medical accidents.
Consumer Issues
The information and advice service formerly known as Consumer Direct is now operated by Citizens Advice. The service handles general consumer issues, as well as complaints about energy companies and the postal service.
Debt and Money Advice
Telephone helpline from the Money Advice Trust that gives free confidential and independent advice on how to deal with debt problems. Can also be contacted by email for advice.
StepChange Debt Charity (formerly CCCS)
Debt advice charity that offers a free and confidential telephone helpline. If you cannot make a free call, you can also ask CCCS to call you back instead. The website also offers an online tool to help manage bills and spending.
Website with useful information, tools, calculators, planners and tips on managing your money. MAS can also be contacted by phone or by by live web chat.
Disability Rights
DLS runs a service operated by people with disabilities and for them. They provide information and advice about disability rights as well as on tackling discrimination against people with disabilities.
Run by Inclusion London, this website aims to help Deaf or disabled people to use the law to fight for their rights - especially against disability discrimination.
Discrimination
Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS)
EASS can inform you about your rights and options with regard to equality and discrimination matters, either by telephone or by email. Please note that EASS is not able to give legal advice.
Domestic Violence
RCJ CAB have set up FLOWS (Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors). They offer:
Online and phone consultancy for women and front line workers
Women can contact the team between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday on:
Phone: 0203 745 7707 / Email: flows@rcjadvice.org.uk
Online discussion forums for front line workers
Rights of Women deliver the FLOWS Forum – an online community for legal professional and front line domestic abuse workers to connect and share expertise on family law.
You must register to take part in the forum and membership is open to workers in not for profit and voluntary organisations working with women survivors of domestic abuse. To find out more and register visit www.flowsforum.org
Encrypted referral app for police, social services and agencies
Statutory organisations and front line professionals can access this referral app.
FL401 CourtNav online application helping women to complete Non Molestation orders
Survivors can now directly register for CourtNav and will be taken straight into the CourtNav system. This link will enable survivors to create a direct CourtNav account without having to be referred by an organisation or the FLOWS team first. CourtNav will be accessible 24/7 and directs survivors to domestically accredited legal aid providers who can assist them.
FLOWS have also created a self-referral app so that women can contact them without having to call us or access an email account.
Further information can be found here:
Employment
ACAS - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
The ACAS website provides detailed information and guidance on various workplace and employment issues. They also operate a confidential and impartial helpline on 0300 123 1100.
From April 2013 legal aid is no longer available for employment law, except in cases involving discrimination. This makes it much more difficult to find free advice on these matters.
The University of Law is operating an advice line on employment law. To make initial contact please call 01483 216 528. You will be asked for some details about yourself and, if appropriate, get a telephone appointment which may take place between 6pm-8pm. The service is operated by qualified solicitors with law students assisting.
Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority
Are you or do you know of workers being exploited in the following sectors?
- Agriculture (including horticulture)
- Shellfish gathering
- Food and Drink processing and packaging
Click the above link to information about how to report in confidence online
or ring the Confidential Reporting Hotline: 0800 432 0804
Working Families runs a legal helpline for parents and their advisers and gives advice on employment rights for parents and benefits for families. The helpline is run by a team of solicitors and advisers and has an Advice Quality Standard Quality Mark.
Helpline: 0300 012 0312
Family
From April 2013 legal aid is no longer available for most family law cases. This makes it much more difficult to find free advice on these matters.
The University of Law is operating an advice line on family law. To make initial contact please call 01483 216 528. You will be asked for some details about yourself and, if appropriate, get a telephone appointment which may take place between 5:30pm-7:30pm. The service is operated by qualified solicitors with law students assisting.
Housing
Shelter is a large natioal charity that campaigns and provides advice on housing and homelessness. Their website contains plenty of information and also contact details for getting advice.
Living Wills
Do you have a condition that you worry might mean you would lose your capacity to think clearly and express your will? In situations of end-of-life care, some tough decisions need to be made. To make sure that your wishes are known to everyone caring for you, you can draw up a 'living will'. Click here for the organisation My Living Will to read more and to create your own living will.
Prison
Among its many functions, the Howard League for Penal Reform offers ways of accessing advice either directly or by helping people find a solicitor specialising in prison law.
PAS provides legal advice and information to prisoners about their rights and conditions.
Rights of Women
The charity Rights of Women is offering free, confidential legal advice for women in England and Wales. All their advisers are women solicitors or barristers with expertise in the relevant areas of law. Please ring during the relevant advice line session. We cannot advise outside of the advice line times or by email. We can only advise in English on the law as it is applied in England and Wales.
Family law advice line for advice on issues including domestic violence and abuse; divorce and civil partnership dissolution; relationship breakdown; issues relating to children, including parental responsibility, child contact and residence. Please call 020 7251 6577 (telephone) or 020 7490 2562 (textphone) on Tuesdays 7pm-9pm, Wednesdays 7pm-9pm, Thursdays 7pm-9pm and Fridays 12noon-2pm.
Immigration and asylum law advice line for advice on issues including the rights of EEA nationals and their family members; claiming asylum in the UK; trafficking; domestic violence and immigration law; and no recourse to public funds. Please call 020 7490 7689 (telephone) or 020 7490 2562 (textphone) on Mondays 2pm-4pm and Wednesdays 11am-1pm.
Criminal law advice line for advice on issues including sexual offences, including rape and sexual assault; domestic violence and harassment; reporting offences to the police and the criminal justice system; the rights of victims, witnesses and defendants; and criminal injuries compensation. Please call 020 7251 8887 (telephone) or 020 7490 2562 (textphone) on Tuesdays 11am-1pm.
Doing it without legal advice
There are several guides available online for download which help 'litigants in person', or people representing themselves, to go about it. [Please note, these guides were not prepared by LCN and we are not responsible for their contents.]
Sorting it out without a lawyer:
Guides for anything from Jobcentre interviews to overpaid tax credits, from Advice Now.
Going to court or tribunal without a lawyer:
A handful of guides and videos for various situations, from Advice Now.
Small claims court :
A guide to bringing and defending a small claim, by the Civil Justice Council.
Family court:
A short guide from Coram Children's Legal Centre
Three videos on attending family court without a lawyer, from barrister Lucy Reed.
Official Ombudsmen
LeO is a free service that has the power to resolve complaints about lawyers.
FOS settles complaints about banks, insurers and other financial services.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
PHSO considers complaints about government departments, many public bodies, and the NHS in England.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
IPCC independently handles complaints about the police in England and Wales.
Non-Legal Support
This LGBTQ mental health charity based in Brighton provides an online service specifically for LGBTQ people who can make contact for emotional support when other services are not open, when they are not able to access LGBTQ support in their local area or if they just need to chat to someone when they are going through a difficult time. Their trained online support workers are also able to signpost people to support they may not know is out there for them.
Their service is anonymous, confidential, free and can be accessed from anywhere in the UK or abroad.
If you are struggling to cope and need to talk, Shout 85258 trained Shout Volunteers are here for you, day or night.
If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999 for immediate help.
Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service. You can text from wherever you are in the UK.
TEXT 85258