Legal support
Legal Support
Introduction
We have produced this page because, increasingly, DDPOs and disabled people are finding themselves in situations that require legal support.
There are various schemes that provide free legal support services and it can take time and effort to find the information you need. Therefore, we have created a page that will tell you about some of the different types of support available in one place to save you some time.
In addition, there are numerous new initiatives out there, which we want to make sure DDPOs are aware of.
Whether you are a DDPO wishing to challenge a decision made by your local authority using public law, or an advice service supporting individual disabled clients to challenge cuts in community care, this should give you a starting point.
The page is divided into 3 sections – click on the link best for you. They are:
For DDPOS
For Advisors
For Individuals
Other Links, are general contacts that may be of use to everyone.
Definitions:
What do we mean by Legal Aid?
Legal aid is free or low cost legal work for people who cannot afford legal representation any other way. It is funded by the government and administered by the Legal Services Commission. There are restrictions to the type of cases it is valid for.
- For the Legal Services Commission leaflet ‘A Step-by-Step Guide to Legal Aid’ for civil cases [Oct 10], visit www.legalservices.gov.uk
- For more information on how to get legal aid, including a ‘legal aid calculator’ guide to see if you financially qualify, visit Directgov website www.direct.gov.uk
- For more information on recent changes to the administration of legal aid, see the Equality and Disability Forum (EDF) update on the Legal Aid Bill [July 11] www.edf.org.uk
What do we mean by Pro Bono?
Pro bono legal advice is free legal work done voluntarily by legal professionals for the good of the community. (Pro bono is the shortened version of the Latin ‘pro bono publico’ meaning ‘for the public good’.) It is generally undertaken for people or not-for-profit charitable organisations that do not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford to pay for legal representation.
For DDPOs
Bar Pro Bono Unit
Who are they?
A charity that helps to find pro bono legal assistance from volunteer barristers for those who cannot afford to pay and who cannot obtain public funding.
What do they do?
The Unit matches barristers prepared to undertake pro bono work with those who need their help. The office itself does not give advice.
The volunteer barristers can provide advice, representation and help at mediation; representation in any court/tribunal; give legal advice on any subject; and draft documents such as skeleton arguments.
The Unit can also help organisations find trustees with a legal background.
How do you access the service?
- Organisations may apply to the Unit directly and have their own application form.
- Visit the website www.barprobono.org.uk
- For more information if your organisation needs help Click Here
- For help finding a Trustee Click Here
- Submit a query via contact form Click Here
Community Matters
Who are they?
An organisation that champions voluntary and community action and encourage local people to take control of issues in their area.
What do they do?
Offer advice and legal services on all aspects of running a community organisation, along with training and consultancy packages. Also, host a LawWorks free Legal Advice Clinic. Appointment required.
Who are they for?
Community Organisations
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.communitymatters.org.uk
- Sign up for the e-bulletin (available as an option if you register for free as a website user) Click Here
- For details of Legal Advice Clinic, and how to book an appointment Click here
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Email:
- Call the helpline 0845 847 4253 (020 7520 2789) (Speak directly to an advisor. Open 9.30am–1.00pm on Mondays and Thursdays)
LawWorks
Who are they?
A charity that works with law firms and legal professionals to involve them in delivering pro bono work.
What do they do?
The LawWorks for Community Organisations project provides free legal advice using volunteer lawyers.
They have an automatic web-based system that provides brief legal information in response to straightforward legal queries, called Initial Electronic Advice (IEA).
They can help with a wide variety of legal work including company law, employment law, intellectual property law, property law, charity law; tax/VAT law; insolvency and help in drafting contingency plans; insurance law; health and safety law; general contractual/commercial matters, etc.
Who are they for?
Small charities, not for profit, voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises in England and Wales (some exclusions apply Click Here).
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.lawworks.org
- For LawWorks for Community Organisations Click Here
- Initial Electronic Advice www.lawworkstraining.org.uk/lawworksiea.org.uk/
- Switchboard: 020 7092 3940
- E-mail enquiries@lawworks.org.uk
Unity Law
Who are they?
Disability discrimination and occupational health legal specialist.
What do they do?
They provide legal advice and representation on cases involving occupation health issues and disability discrimination.
They recently joined with the national charity Disability Alliance to oppose the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill.
How do you access the service?
Telephone 0114 361 0000
Email < info@unity-law.co.uk>
Visit the website www.unity-law.co.uk
Empowering the Voluntary Sector project
The Empowering the Voluntary Sector project is here to support you in challenging decisions and actions made by public bodies which could be deemed ‘unlawful’ or contrary to the Compact. For example:
- Ending funding without notice
- Failure to provide reasons or feedback on decision-making processes
- Failure to consult
Empowering the Voluntary Sector, run jointly by NCVO’s Compact Advocacy Programme, NAVCA and the Public Law Project, previously funded by the Big Lottery Fund, provides tailored advice and training to help local third sector organisations understand the principles and framework of the Compact and public law.
In the first five years, the project has delivered over 200 workshops, training over 2000 people to use the principles of public law and has provided legal advice and support to more than 800 third sector organisations. Many of these issues have been resolved in favour of third sector organisations resulting in over £800,000 coming back into the sector.
Advice
The advice line, managed by Compact Advocacy, provides access to free detailed advice to third sector organisations on disputes involving public bodies’ decisions and failures. The Compact Advocacy team will look at each case then either provide advice on managing the case using Compact tools or refer the issue to the team of lawyers at PLP for legal advice.
The advice line is available Monday to Friday 10.00 -16.00 on 020 7520 3161. Or you may email us: evsadvice@ncvo-vol.org.uk
All third sector organisations in England are able to access these services and benefit from the provision of specialist Compact and legal advice and training on public law principles and remedies.
Training
Attending a training session will give you the knowledge to identify if a public body is acting unlawfully or outside of the Compact, to promote collaborative working and, if necessary, challenge decisions. You will gain the skills to negotiate effectively on issues such as challenging funding cuts, failures to consult on policy changes, and local authority decisions concerning the provision of services.
Workshops are open to all local third sector organisations funded by, or seeking funding from, public bodies. We are sorry but we are unable to accept bookings from public bodies.
The workshops will help you to identify:
- How you can use the Compact when working with a public body;
- What is public law and how it affects your organisation;
- What happens when things go wrong;
- The solutions available to you.
For Advisors
Bar Pro Bono Unit
Who are they?
A charity that helps to find pro bono legal assistance from volunteer barristers for individuals and organisations that cannot afford to pay and cannot obtain legal aid.
What do they do?
The Unit matches barristers prepared to undertake pro bono work with those who need their help. The office itself does not give advice.
They may be able to offer help for client that have a court or tribunal hearing and need representation at that hearing; for clients that need specialist legal advice; or those that need assistance with drafting written submissions to the Court, such as a skeleton argument, particulars of Claim, a defence or ground for appeal.
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.barprobono.org.uk
- If you have a client who needs help Click Here
- Submit a query via contact form Click Here
Disability Alliance Tribunal Support Unit
Who are they?
The Tribunal Support Unit (TSU) is a free service for advisers dealing with social security benefits and tax credits. It offers help with complex benefit questions through all stages of the decision-making and appeals systems.
What do they do?
It offers help with complex benefit questions through all stages of the decision-making and appeals systems.
TSU will be running training courses for advisers. The courses will range from introductory courses on the main disability related benefits to more complex courses on appeals to tribunals and the Upper Tribunal.
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.disabilityalliance.org
- Adviser’s helpline 0207 1010 397
Disability Law Service
Who are they?
What do they do?
They run a free legal advice line, open Monday to Friday, 10am–5pm, with an answering machine service for out of hours calls.
They run an Employment Law drop in at their office in Tower Hamlets, where a member of their legal team will assess whether individuals are financially eligible for legal aid under the Legal Services Commissions (LSC) Legal Help scheme.
They also have factsheets available to download on key areas of the law, such as Community Care; education; employment; goods and services; and welfare benefits. The factsheets are available for download in different formats - regular, large print, text only and audio file.
They commit to responding to telephone enquiries within 24 hours, and written enquiries within 7-10 days.
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.dls.org.uk
- For Employment drop in information Click Here
- For factsheets Click Here
- Email advice@dls.org.uk
- Via online form www.dls.org.uk/Advice/written_submission.html
- Adviceline 020 7791 9800
- Fax 020 7791 9802
- Address - Disability Law Service, 39-45 Cavell Street, London, E1 2BP
Free Representation Unit (FRU)
Who are they?
A charity that provides free legal representation for the public and advocacy experience for junior lawyers.
What do they do?
Provide legal advice, case preparation and advocacy in employment tribunals (and appeals from decisions of the employment tribunals); social security appeals in the first-tier tribunal (and appeals from such decisions); and criminal injury compensation cases.
How do you access the service?
- All cases must come through a referral agency. For a list of referral agencies, Click Here
- Visit the website www.thefru.org.uk
- For information on how to apply to become a referral agency Click Here (Subscription £40 pa)
- Email via webform www.thefru.org.uk/contact-us
LawWorks
Who are they?
A charity that works with law firms and legal professionals to involve them in delivering pro bono work.
What do they do?
Aim to provide free legal help to those who cannot afford to pay for it and who are unable to access legal aid.
They have an automatic web-based system that provides brief legal information in response to straightforward legal queries, called Initial Electronic Advice (IEA).
They also have specific services to advice agencies, including help to set up a free legal advice Clinic, and information about providing a referral route for your clients to receive free legal assistance, including representation and mediation.
How do you access the service?
- Switchboard 020 7092 3940
- E-mail enquiries@lawworks.org.uk
- Visit the website www.lawworks.org
- Initial Electronic Advice Click Here
- Services to Advice Agencies Click Here
RAD Legal Services: BSL
Who are they?
A dedicated legal advice service for Deaf BSL users provided by the Royal Association of Deaf People (RAD).
What do they do?
RAD Legal Services currently has three projects: a Discrimination Advice project, a Webcam Advice Project and a Money Advice Service project.
Discrimination Advice gives free specialist legal advice on discrimination issues in the areas of employment, housing, education and goods, facilities and services. This is provided by a Deaf solicitor, and can be delivered face to face, via webcam, email, telephone or instant messaging software.
Webcam Advice is the BSL version of the Community Legal Advice Helpline, and is available free of charge to people eligible for legal aid in the areas of welfare benefits, debt, housing and employment. As well as webcam, they can also provide advice via instant messaging software such as Windows Live Messenger, ooVoo, etc.
Money Advice Service has a qualified Money Adviser giving free, clear and ‘jargon-free’ Money Advice money advice to D/deaf and hard of hearing people who live in the South East. The Service covers the savings and investments; borrowings (credit cards, loans and mortgages); retirement planning and pensions; redundancy; tax and tax credits; insurance; debt; starting a family; and budgeting.
How do you access the service?
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Visit the website www.radlegalservices.org.uk (A Deaf client can access Community Legal Advice via webcam here)
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For the Money Advice Service Click Here
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Via online contact form www.radlegalservices.org.uk/contact-us/">www.radlegalservices.org.uk/contact-us/
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Email legal@royaldeaf.org.uk
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Mobile 07749 965725
Rightsnet
Who are they?
London Advice Services Alliance (Lasa) welfare rights service.
(For more information on Lasa, visit www.lasa.org.uk)
What do they do?
Provide welfare rights and social welfare law information via the web.
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.rightsnet.com
- Post in their discussion board at www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums
For Individuals
Bar Pro Bono Unit
Who are they?
A charity that helps to find pro bono legal assistance from volunteer barristers for individuals and organisations who cannot afford to pay and who cannot obtain public funding (legal aid).
What do they do?
The Unit matches barristers prepared to undertake pro bono work with those who need their help. The office itself does not give advice.
The volunteer barristers can provide advice, representation and help at mediation; representation in any court/tribunal; give legal advice on any subject; and draft documents such as skeleton arguments.
How do you access the service?
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They cannot accept applications unless they come via a referrer (generally, an advice agency such as the CAB or a Law Centre, or a local MP)
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Visit the website www.barprobono.org.uk
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For more information if you are an individual needing help Click Here
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Submit a query via contact form Click Here
Community Legal Advice
Who are they?
A free and confidential advice service in England and Wales paid for by legal aid.
What do they do?
Provide free help or legal advice over the phone. They can help with family, debt, housing, employment, education, welfare benefits and tax credits problems.
They will check to see if you are eligible for legal aid and put you in touch with a specialist legal adviser, or refer you to other agencies of you do not qualify for their services.
Has a free translation service available in 170 languages.
How do you access the service?
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Telephone 0845 345 4 345 (Open Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 8.00 pm. Saturday 9.00 am to 12.30 pm. Calls cost 4p per minute from a BT landline; cost from mobiles will be more)
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Request a call back
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Talk to an advisor in BSL via webcam Click Here (Service provided by RAD Legal Services)
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Visit the website www.direct.gov.uk
Disability Law Service
Who are they?
A national charity run by disabled people, which specialises in free legal advice and information for disabled people, their families and carers.
What do they do?
They provide free legal advice and representation (e.g. in complaints, using the Ombudsman, tribunals and courts), specialising in Welfare Benefits; Community Care; Disability Discrimination in Employment, Access to Goods and Services; and using the Equality Duty to challenge public authorities.
They run a free legal advice line, open Mon-Friday, 10am–5pm, with an answering machine service for out of hours calls.
They run an Employment Law drop in at their office in Tower Hamlets, where a member of their legal team will assess whether you are financially eligible for legal aid under the Legal Services Commissions (LSC) Legal Help scheme.
They also have factsheets available to download on key areas of the law, such as Community Care; education; employment; goods and services; and welfare benefits. The factsheets are available for download in different formats - regular, large print, text only and audio file.
They commit to responding to telephone enquiries within 24 hours, and written enquiries within 7-10 days.
How do you access the service?
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Visit the website www.dls.org.uk
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For Employment drop in information Click Here
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For factsheets Click Here
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Email advice@dls.org.uk
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Via online form www.dls.org.uk/Advice/written_submission.html
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Adviceline 020 7791 9800
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Fax 020 7791 9802
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Address - Disability Law Service, 39-45 Cavell Street, London, E1 2BP
Free Representation Unit (FRU)
Who are they?
A charity that provides free legal representation for the public and advocacy experience for junior lawyers.
What do they do?
Provide legal advice, case preparation and advocacy in employment tribunals (and appeals from decisions of the employment tribunals); social security appeals in the first-tier tribunal (and appeals from such decisions); and criminal injury compensation cases.
How do you access the service?
- Do not accept cases directly from members of the public - all cases must come through a referral agency. For a list of referral agencies, Click Here
- Visit the website www.thefru.org.uk
LawWorks
Who are they?
A charity that works with law firms and legal professionals to involve them in delivering pro bono work.
What do they do?
Aim to provide free legal help to those who cannot afford to pay for it and who are unable to access legal aid.
Services to individuals include free Legal Advice Clinics, free mediation to settle disputes out of court, and free casework assistance if you need more than one-off advice.
Who are they for?
Individuals
How do you access the service?
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Visit the website www.lawworks.org
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Find your nearest free Legal Advice Clinic Click Here
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For more information on Free mediation Click Here
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For more information on Free Casework Assistance Click Here
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Switchboard 020 7092 3940
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E-mail enquiries@lawworks.org.uk
ProBonoUK.net
Who are they?
A charity that run a website for the promotion of pro bono legal work.
What do they do?
Act as a resource for news andinformation about pro bono work for individuals, advice workers and lawyers wishing to offer help.
How do you access the service?
- Visit the website www.probonouk.net
RAD Legal Services: BSL
Who are they?
A dedicated legal advice service for Deaf BSL users provided by the Royal Association of Deaf People (RAD).
What do they do?
RAD Legal Services currently has three projects: a Discrimination Advice project, a Webcam Advice Project and a Money Advice Service project.
Discrimination Advice gives free specialist legal advice on discrimination issues in the areas of employment, housing, education and goods, facilities and services. This is provided by a Deaf solicitor, and can be delivered face to face, via webcam, email, telephone or instant messaging software.
Webcam Advice is the BSL version of the Community Legal Advice Helpline, and is available free of charge to people eligible for legal aid in the areas of welfare benefits, debt, housing and employment. As well as webcam, they can also provide advice via instant messaging software such as Windows Live Messenger, ooVoo, etc.
Money Advice Service has a qualified Money Adviser giving free, clear and ‘jargon-free’ Money Advice money advice to D/deaf and hard of hearing people who live in the South East. The Service covers the savings and investments; borrowings (credit cards, loans and mortgages); retirement planning and pensions; redundancy; tax and tax credits; insurance; debt; starting a family; and budgeting.
How do you access the service?
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Visit the website www.radlegalservices.org.uk
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For the Money Advice Service Click Here
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Via online contact form www.radlegalservices.org.uk/contact-us/
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Email legal@royaldeaf.org.uk
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Mobile 07749 965725
Other links
Advice Guide
Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) online advice resource.
www.adviceguide.org.uk
Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB)
The website of the national advice agency, including Search for your nearest CAB.
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Directgov
Website of the UK government, providing information and signposting.
www.direct.gov.uk
Law Centres Federation
The umbrella organisation that supports and promotes UK Law Centres. For a list of London’s Law Centres, visit
www.lawcentres.org.uk/directory/location/London
Legal Adviser Finder
Find legal advisers or solicitors near you
http://legaladviserfinder.justice.gov.uk/AdviserSearch.do
USING THE LAW TO DEFEND DDPOS AND SERVICES
How we can use the law to defend ourselves against cuts to services.
Earlier this year Louise Whitfield of Pierce Glynn gave a really useful presentation at an Inclusion London event on how we as DDPos can use the law to defend ourselves against cuts to services. In her presentation Louise outlined how Public bodies must act fairly and lawfully when making any decisions, including decisions to cut funding to services or organisations. The link below will take you to her presentation which you can use with your board and staff in order to inform your approach to these challenging times. She has kindly allowed us to share her presentation with you.
You can download the presentation below.
Using the Law to Fight Cuts to Disabled Peoples Services.
This paper is practical guide for campaigners, disabled people, families, carers and local groups - produced by Doughty Street Chambers and Irwin Mitchell Solicitors.
