Law Centres

Law Centres involve the local community in their work to make sure that their services are those most needed and they raise awareness about people’s rights and about how the law operates.

A short leaflet about Law Centres is available: LCF_Promoting_Equal_Access_to_All.pdf

In Scotland, there is a separate organisation, the Scottish Association of Law Centres which has information about Law Centres in Scotland.  Visit: Scottish Association of Law Centres.

• About Law Centres
  Law Centres have existed since the early 1970s. Law Centres should be available to everyone, especially those living in less affluent areas with poor public services. However, the distribution of Law Centres is still sparse.
• Find your local Law Centre
  Find a Law Centre near you
• History and Funding of Law Centres
  “The impact of Law Centres has been out of all proportion to their size, the number of lawyers who work in them and to the amount of work it is possible for them to undertake. The volume of work they have attracted has shown how deep is the need they are attempting to meet.”
• How are Law Centres different?
  While Law Centres are similar to other legal and advice agencies, and share some of the features of private practice solicitors who offer services in social welfare law, Law Centres remain distinctive.
• How do Law Centres operate?
  Law Centres operate in the same way as any lawyer’s firm in the high street, in that they employ solicitors to provide a high quality professional legal service. However, Law Centres’ expertise lies with solving everyday problems, which come under the general heading of ‘social welfare law’.
• Legal Aid
  What is it for, who can get it, and who provides it.
• What do Law Centres do?
  Law Centres provide their local communities with a comprehensive legal service that puts the legal and human rights of individuals first. Law Centres help to overcome the obstacles faced by people who need access to the legal system.