Press Releases pre-May 2010

Community Legal Service Direct is changing its name to Community Legal Advice from 12 November, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) announced today.

In three years of operation the legal aid telephone service has helped more than 750,000 people by:

• Taking on legal cases for 250,000 people.
• Referring another 400,000 to face-to-face legal aid providers.
• Giving 114,000 people details of other helplines or information that enabled them to solve the problem.

The website has also had more than 3.3 million visitors each year.
 
The name change follows a desire expressed by clients for a clearer name as well as research that showed a need for the justice system to be clear in the language used to promote services. The Community Legal Service Strategy, which involved us working more closely with providers to deliver integrated services, presented an opportunity to look at a single public brand for client services.

Testing by the LSC and Community Legal Service Direct identified clients wanted a name that, as closely as possible, described the service on offer. Various names were tested with clients, including ‘Community Legal Service’ which was unpopular. The most popular was ‘Community Legal Advice’.

The phone number hasn’t changed - people can still access the same free and confidential advice paid for by legal aid on 0845 3454345. Our new website is www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk

Many of the people helped by the service are some of the most vulnerable in our society including families facing eviction and people dealing with debt. Often callers said they didn’t know how to seek face-to-face advice or couldn’t visit a solicitor because of mobility problems, caring responsibilities, living in rural areas or being too embarrassed.

However, where face-to-face help was the best option more than 400,000 people have been put in contact with quality-assured local providers. Many others have been given free on-the-spot assistance.

John Sirodcar, Head of Direct Services said; “The new name brings under one banner joined-up services that target those in greatest need.

Research shows that people who are eligible for legal aid often don’t realise they are. Many people on a household income below £30,000 a year or on most benefits will qualify. All civil legal aid services we provide directly to the public will use one name. We want people to see the name ‘Community Legal Advice’ and know it is a free, confidential advice service they can trust.”

Help is now available under this single name in multiple categories of law from the helpline, website and Community Legal Advice centres and networks currently being set up around the country, complementing legal aid that exists through high street solicitors and not-for-profit agencies.
 
Community Legal Advice is the government’s free legal aid service that provides telephone and web advice that offers help on the problems including:

• Housing and eviction
• Money and debt
• Employment
• Education
• Advice on benefits, tax credits or welfare problems
• Finding a solicitor.

People on a low income or benefits can call 0845 345 4 345 or visit www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk

Media information

For more information please contact Michaela Keating, LSC press office.
Tel:   020 7759 0444  

Notes about Community Legal Advice

Why doesn’t the name use “Legal Aid”, or use the word “Direct”?

Local authorities jointly funded some initiatives like Community Legal Advice centres and networks so they are not only paid for by legal aid. There may be further examples of this working in future, so it was important to choose a name that was flexible. Flexibility is also the reason “Direct” was not used in the title. Research found that clients associated the word Direct with ‘ambulance chasers’, loan companies and cost cutting.

Facts about the phone advice

• Community Legal Advice is a free and confidential advice service paid for by legal aid.
• 80 per cent of calls answered within 20 seconds. Callers who have a problem we can help with are connected to an adviser within minutes.
• The telephone lines are open 9.00am-6.30pm Mon to Fri. Out-of-hours messages are responded to within 24 hours.
• Three-way translation services are offered in all languages plus Typetalk.
• A quarter of clients are BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) and a fifth have a disability.
• The cost to legal aid is 10-35% less than for the same help face-to-face.
• Many callers helped still need some face-to-face assistance, and we direct these callers to quality assured providers, making the helpline a valuable gateway for providers. We refer people to non-legal aid funded services if legal aid cannot help.
• The service is quality assured: specialists must obtain a peer review rating competence plus or excellence (the top two peer reviewed ratings of five).

We never charge. All help and advice is completely government funded. Calls cost no more than 4p per minute from BT landlines but calls from mobiles are usually more. People worried about call costs can have advisors call them back.

Community Legal Advice has lots of information leaflets that cover common legal problems. They explain the law and help you get the right advice. Read them at www.communitylegaladvice.org.uk

General information and legal factsheets are available in Welsh, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu.