Finding help

There are lots of different organisations who can offer help and advice with a problem. Here we list some of them and briefly explain what they do.

Advice UK advice centres
Advice UK is a network of independent advice centres. Some give general information and advice on a range of subjects whilst others specialise in one or more area of law. Find out if there is an Advice UK advice centre near you by visiting their website or calling 020 7407 4070.
Find an Advice UK advice centre

Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx)
Citizens Advice Bureaux help people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free information and advice. You can find your local CAB by visiting their website or looking under ‘Citizens Advice Bureaux’ in The Phone Book.
Find a CAB

Community Legal Advice
Community Legal Advice is a free, confidential service to help people deal with their legal problems.
Community Legal Advice Telephone Services: 0845 345 4 345
Community Legal Advice - directory

Law Centres
Law Centres are staffed by both solicitors and other workers who specialise in legal problems. They offer a free service. Law Centres usually only help people who live or work in their area. You can find out whether there is a Law Centre near you by visiting: www.lawcentres.org.uk

The Law Society
You can search for a solicitor by area of law on the Law Society website or by calling 0870 606 6575 or visiting:
Solicitors-Online

Yellow Pages
You can also find details of local advice agencies and solicitors in the phone book, or on the Yellow Pages website.
Yell.com

Some organisations specialise in giving advice to particular groups of people, or about particular problems.

Here are a few examples:

Find your local Age Concern provides information relevant to the needs of older people. As well as running the Age Concern Information Line (0800 00 99 66), many local Age Concern groups offer advice.

Find your local DIAL is a network of local disability information and advice services run by and for disabled people.

www.shelternet.org.uk offer specialist information and legal advice about housing. Shelter also provides advice and information via it’s free national telephone helpline on 0808 800 4444.

Some lawyers belong to organisations whose members have a particular interest in a specific area of law.

These organisations often have a code of practice, or set standards that their members have to follow. If you have a legal problem about a particular issue, it is a good idea to find a lawyer who is a member of an organisation that specializes in that area. Here are a few examples:

Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA) keeps a list of specialist solicitors who work in the area of clinical negligence. Solicitors are independently assessed and approved.

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a group of lawyers who specialise in the law around personal injury. APIL lawyers are accredited which means that they have to show a set level of experience and expertise.

Resolution is an association of lawyers who deal with family disputes. Their members subscribe to a code of practice setting out their constructive approach to these problems. You can search for one of their members on their website.

For more information on getting advice

See our guide Do I need a lawyer? (327 KB). It will help you to decide what type of an adviser you need and explain what to expect when you get there.