How to find legal information and help

On this page:

Getting help with a civil legal problem
Getting help with a criminal legal problem
Quality legal information and advice
Free services
For more information

Getting help with a civil legal problem

Community Legal Advice is a free and confidential advice service paid for by legal aid.

Call now on 0845 345 4345.

Visit the website

The Community Legal Advice website has lots of information. You can:

find a local legal adviser
see if you qualify for legal aid using the Eligibility Calculator
ask a question or choose a topic and link to the right place on the best advice sites in the UK
read and print information leaflets about the law and your rights.

Information is available in English, Welsh, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu.

Call our helpline

Community Legal Advice also runs a telephone helpline.

worried about benefits or tax credits?
having problems with your child’s school?
are your debts out of control?
are you being treated unfairly at work?
are you having problems with your landlord?

Community Legal Advice can help with these kinds of problems if you live on a low income or benefits.

Call now on 0845 345 4345.

Calls cost no more than 4p per minute from a BT landline but calls from mobiles are usually more. If you’re worried about the cost just ask an adviser to call you back.

The helpline offers a translation service for callers who do not speak English as their first language.

Typetalk calls welcome Minicom 0845 609 6677.

The website is fully compatible with screen readers. The content of the site is BrowseAloud enabled, allowing blind and partially sighted users without screen readers to visit the site.

Switch on the TV

If you have digital TV you can order Community Legal Advice leaflets through the Directgov pages:

Sky: Press the interactive button and select option 8
Telewest: Press the interactive button and select News & Info, then Your Council
ntl: Press the interactive button, select ntl interactive, then Local and Govt, then Government.

Getting help with a criminal legal problem

Criminal Defence Service Direct provides telephone advice to people detained in police stations. It’s available for non-indictable offences such as shoplifting.

If you need to use the service the police will give you the number. The LSC employs advisers who provide independent and confidential advice.

The service offers:

speed: advice is a phone call away rather than waiting for the duty solicitor to arrive
a reduction in the overall time that clients are held in the police station
increased value for taxpayers’ money.

The helpline offers a translation service for callers who do not speak English as their first language.

Currently these clients have to wait until the police are able to provide an interpreter.

Quality legal information and advice

The Community Legal Service (CLS) brings together legal aid solicitors, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Law Centres, local authority services and other organisations in local networks.

It ensures that people can get information and advice about their legal rights and help with enforcing them.

Organisations displaying the CLS logo have met our Quality Mark standards for legal and advice services.

Many CLS organisations offer some or all of their services free. Others may charge for their services.

Free services

Some lawyers and advisers provide cheaper legal advice and assistance to people who are not eligible for legal aid but cannot afford full legal fees.

You may have to pay some charges, such as photocopying, to cover the organisation's costs.

For example Citizens Advice Bureaux and Law Centres can often provide free legal help.

Free initial interview

Many organisations offer a set period (often 30 minutes) of initial free advice.

Fixed-fee interview

Some solicitors offer an interview (generally of 30 minutes) for a fixed fee.

Pro Bono

Many lawyers offer some services free of charge. This is called ‘Pro Bono’ and means ‘for the public good’. You can find more information on these websites:

Solicitors Pro Bono Group ('LawWorks' projects)
Bar Pro Bono Unit (barristers)
Free Representation Unit (immigration and employment).

Trade unions and motoring organisations

Trade unions and motoring organisations such as the AA and the RAC offer low-cost or free legal advice to members.

For more information

Mediation is also funded by legal aid. A neutral and independent third party helps people in dispute to reach a voluntary resolution agreed by both sides. The mediator does not make decisions or impose a settlement.

More information is on the Family pages.

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Last updated: 14 November 2007