How do I find an advice centre or solicitor?
Community Legal Advice
Community Legal Advice is a free, confidential service to help people deal with their legal problems. Through its helpline and website you can get contact details of local advice centres and solicitors who hold the Community Legal Service Quality Mark. You can also find details of local family mediation services.
Community Legal Advice Telephone Services (0845 345 4 345)
You can get free initial advice from a qualified legal adviser, listen to recorded messages about common legal problems and order free legal information leaflets on a range of topics.
www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk
As well as finding a local adviser or solicitor, you can use this website to ask a question or choose a topic and be directed to the best advice websites in the UK. You can also check if you are eligible for legal aid using the online calculator and read or print off information leaflets.
You can also find advice centres and solicitors in the following ways:
Advice UK advice centres
Advice UK is a support network for independent advice centres. Some of these centres give general information and advice on a range of subjects whilst others specialise in legal advice in one or more areas of law. For many of the centres, giving information and legal advice is only part of what they do. They may also provide other community support and social care services. Some also just serve a particular community in society. You can find out whether there is an Advice UK Advice Centre near you by visiting their website or telephoning 020 7407 4070.
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.
Law Centres
Jargon Buster
The Community Legal Service (CLS) is a network of Quality Marked solicitors and advice centres.
Legal Aid is a government scheme for people with low income and savings. If you are eligible and your case is considered worth supporting you may get financial help with the cost of legal advice, assistance, mediation and representation.
Law Centres are staffed by both solicitors and other workers who specialise in legal problems and offer a free service. Different Law Centres specialise in different areas of law but you will commonly find they can advise on housing, employment, immigration, discrimination, education, community care, welfare benefits and debt. Solicitors at Law Centres take on cases in exactly the same way as solicitors in firms. They will not usually act for someone who can afford to pay a solicitor. 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 the Law Centres Federation website.
The Law Society
You can search for a solicitor by area of law on the Law Society website or by calling 0870 606 6575. The website also contains a useful section on how to choose a solicitor.
Others
Some organisations have a special interest in a particular area and can offer expert advice on that topic. Here are just some examples:
Age Concern provides information relevant to the needs of older people. It publishes fact sheets and runs the Age Concern Information Line (0800 00 99 66). Local Age Concern groups may be able to offer advice and you can find out if there is one near you by visiting their web site.
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.
Shelter housing aid centres offer specialist information and legal advice about housing. You can find your local housing aid centre on their website. Shelter also provides advice and information via it’s free national telephone helpline on 0808 800 4444.
