Help Directory

There are lots of different ways you can get legal advice to help deal with a problem. Where to go depends on what type of problem you have, and what your situation is. 

Will an Advice or Law  Centre be able to help you? 

Advicelocal is a UK-wide service from the advice charity Rights.net.

Advicelocal can help you find help with problems relating to welfare benefits and tax credits, council tax, including exemptions and discounts, debt and money advice, housing and homelessness, employment and work issues, disability and social care, and asylum and immigration. Enter your postcode, choose an advice topic from the drop down menu and search. This will tell you about any Citizen’s Advice, law centres, or independent advice agencies in your county. (Beware - it misses out ones near you but in another county or borough - some of which may be able to help you). If you live in London you can use their Guided Pathway online to help you find information on benefits, work, money or housing.

Citizens Advice is the national body for Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). See Contact Citizens Advice  to find a CAB near you, details about their national helpline, and their chat and other services. Be aware that the national helpline is not free. Calls are charged at the same rate as calls to landlines. 

LawWorks supports a network of over 100 free legal advice clinics that provide initial advice to individuals on various areas of law, including social welfare issues, employment, housing, and consumer disputes. During the coronavirus crisis, some clinics may have closed face-to-face appointments. Use their search to see if there is a clinic near you offering advice on the area of law you need help with by phone, email or digitally. In order to use the time efficiently, please see What to bring to your appointment at a LawWorks clinic (PDF).

Civil Legal Advice may be able to give you free legal advice over the phone if you live on a low income or benefits about:

• debt, if your home is at risk
• housing,  if you are homeless or at risk of being evicted
• domestic violence or abuse
• separating from an abusive partner, when you’re making arrangements for children or sorting out money and property
• some child abduction cases, or if your child is being taken into care
• special education needs
• discrimination.

First, check if you’re eligible for legal aid. You’ll get CLA’s contact details if they might be able to help with your problem.

Contact CLA and confirm you’re eligible by explaining your problem and providing proof of your finances. If it sounds like you’re eligible, you’ll be put through to a legal adviser. They’ll decide what advice you can get. If CLA cannot help you, they’ll suggest somewhere else you might be able to get advice.

You can ask CLA to call you back if you do not want to pay for the call. You can also:

•         use CLA’s free interpreting service if English is not your first language
•         book a British Sign Language interpreter if you’re deaf or hard of hearing.

Other options for these and other types of problems

If you are a member of a Trades Union you may have access to free or discounted legal services as part of your membership. Check your Union's website for details.

Check your motor, household contents and buildings insurance policies. You may find you have access to free legal advice on a range of subjects as part of your cover.

If not, and you need help with another type of problem, take a look at the sections below to see if there is specialist help available. Next, check the section below that covers advice services for particular groups of people and see if there is a group that you fit in to. 

If there isn't, see the advice for finding a lawyer.

August 2024

Hourglass runs a confidential freephone helpline, which provides information, advice and support to victims and others who are concerned about or have witnessed abuse, neglect or financial exploitation.  The helpline is available throughout the UK. Free phone: 080 8808 8141. The call will not show up on your phone bill. You can text the helpline at 078 600 52906. The number will appear on your bill and in your phone records but will not be identified as Hourglass. You can email helpline@wearehourglass.org. You can also get information from the chatbot on the website. All helpline and chatbot services are available 24/7.

Office of the Public Guardian helps people plan for someone to make decisions for them, such as a guardian, attorney or deputy, where they do not have the mental capacity to so themselves. Plus, supports people who make decisions for someone on health and financial issues who are unable to do so themselves. They have various online guides for help or you can call: 0300 456 0300 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am – 5pm and Wednesdays 10am – 5pm, or email: customerservices@publicguardian.gov.uk.

For help with benefits or tax credits, contact your local advice agency or Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

Advicelocal is a UK-wide service from the advice charity rights.net. Advicelocal can help you with questions relating to welfare benefits and tax credits. You just enter a postcode and choose an advice topic to find tailored information for your area, including details of independent advice organisations who can help you get the advice and support that you need.

Citizens Advice is the national body for Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). Scroll down their homepage to search for a CAB near you. Citizens Advice also runs a national phone service, Adviceline: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm (closed on public holidays). If you live in Wales call 0800 702 2020. Calls to their adviceline are free from mobiles and landlines. Citizens Advice also has an online chat service that you can find on their Contact us page. For debt problems, this service is available between 9am - 8pm Monday to Friday and between 9.30am - 1pm Saturday. You can use Relay when accessing advice through Citizens Advice with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it.Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.

Gingerbread provides support and information to single parents on areas such as benefit and tax credit issues. Call: 0808 802 0925. Helpline is open Mondays 10am-12pm and 2pm-7pm, Tuesdays 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm, Wednesdays 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm and Thursdays 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm. Webchat services with expert advisers are available online on Mondays 12pm-3pm, Tuesdays 12pm-4pm, Wednesdays 12pm-1pm and Thursdays 12pm-2pm. There is a high demand for the helpline so they ask you to look at all their helpful online information, online forum and details of local and online groups before calling.

LawWorks connects people in need of legal advice and assistance with lawyers willing to meet those needs for free. It supports over 100 legal advice clinics across England and Wales. The majority of these law clinics take place in the evening and provide free initial advice with a particular focus on social welfare issues, employment law, housing matters and consumer disputes. You can find a clinic here: LawWorks clinics network.

Turn2Us provides a free Benefits Calculator and Grants Search tools to check what benefits users might be able to claim and what grants they might be able to apply for.

If your family is involved with local authority children's services, or you need help from these services, then the Family Rights Group can give you information about what the law says and what procedures should be followed, discuss your options and support you to make realistic choices. Call Family Rights Group for free and confidential advice: 0808 801 0366. Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am-3.00pm (closed on bank holidays). If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, please dial 18001 and then 0808 801 0366 for textphone.

Coram Children's Legal Centre provides a child and family law service called Child Law Advice to children, their families and carers in England. Common areas of advice include local authority duties towards children and young people, care proceedings, child protection issues and special educational needs. Call: 0300 330 5480 for family law problems and 0300 330 5485 for education law problems. Open Monday - Friday 10am-4pm. Webchat services are open Monday - Friday 8am-5.30pm. A web chat icon will appear on the right hand side of the page if an adviser is available. Email enquiries can also be submitted 24/7 via the 2 online forms; one for family email advice or one for education email advice. They cannot advise you if you have a lawyer already. You can also book a callback from a member of their legal team, which is a paid-for service. Available to book hourly Monday - Friday from 8.30am-5pm.

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) can help children and young people in care who are not happy in their placement or who aren’t seeing their siblings as well as mothers who have experience of being in care and whose local authority is threatening to take their own children away. For information about how to contact the service, see NYAS legal services or call: 0808 808 1001. Line open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm, Saturday 10am - 4pm or email to help@nyas.net.

You can contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline for free, confidential advice on consumer issues. Open Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Telephone: 0808 223 1133. You can talk to a Welsh-speaking adviser on 0808 223 1144. Closed on public holidays.

Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0808 223 1133. You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.

For information about how to contact the consumer service online see: Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

If you’re liable for council tax, you may be able to get help with your bill through your local council tax support scheme, or may qualify for an exemption or discount.

Advicelocal has information on council tax which is designed to help you find details of the support available to you locally. It gives you information about your rights and entitlements and details of independent advice organisations in your area who can help. Just type in your postcode and see what's available in your area.

Debt Advice Foundation can give you free, confidential advice about your debt problems over the phone. Telephone: 0800 043 40 50. Open Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm. If you are calling from a mobile, let the advisor know and they will call you back.

MoneyHelper (previously The Money Advice Service) has lots of information about managing your money with online tools and a service to find a debt adviser need you.

For free money guidance, you can contact MoneyHelper through webchat Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm. It is closed on weekends and Bank Holidays. For credit questions or pensions guidance, you can talk to someone live on Whatsapp: 077 0134 2744. For free and impartial money guidance in England call: 0800 138 7777. For Wales, call: 0800 138 0555. For typetalk call: 18001 0800 915 4622. From overseas, call +4420 3553 2279. This service is available Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm.  It is closed on weekends and bank holidays. You can also submit a question through an online enquiry form.

National Debtline can give you free, confidential advice and information about debt problems. Telephone: 0808 808 4000. Open Monday to Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 9.30am-1pm. If you are calling from abroad, phone +44121 227 4780. Calling from abroad is not free of charge. Webchat opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm and Saturday 9:30am - 1pm. Helpful factsheets and sample letters are also available online.

StepChange Debt Charity can give you free, confidential advice about debt problems. Telephone: 0800 138 1111. Open Monday to Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday 9am–2pm. Alternatively go to the website to access their online debt advice service, available 24/7, 365 days a year.

The Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) helpline advises and assists individuals on issues relating to equality and human rights, across England, Scotland and Wales. Telephone: 0808 800 0082. Open Monday to Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 10am-2pm. You can also email them using their online contact form. You may also mail to their freepost address: FREEPOST EASS HELPLINE FPN6521. If you are contacting them by post about an issue for the first time, please do not send any documents with your letter. They will come back to you to let you know what documents they will need to see.

Liberty gives advice and legal representation on human rights. They have lots of information on their website. If you still can't find the answer to your problem after reading their information, you can get further advice and information. You can call their human rights information line on 0800 988 817 and select option 3 from the main menu. The phone line is closed on bank holidays. Open Monday evenings from 6pm - 8pm and  Tuesday lunchtimes from 12pm - 2pm. They can  provide free legal information about public law and human rights law issues within England and Wales. This includes a disagreement between an individual and a public body, such as the government, the council or the police. They can’t provide information on topics that don’t involve public bodies. They can explain the legal background to your situation and offer some practical next steps. Alternatively, you can use their webform to get written advice provided you meet the following criteria:

• Fall within their areas of expertise
• Relate to Liberty’s key campaigning area
• They can provide valuable advice on
• Can be responded to in time to meet any formal deadlines in your case.

They aim to reply within six weeks.

The Disability Law Service provides free confidential legal advice to people with disabilities and their carers about employment law and discrimination at work, community care law, housing and benefits. General enquiries can be sent to advice@dls.org.uk

If you have a query about employment and discrimination at work or welfare benefits, call 0207 791 9800. Monday to Friday 9.30am- 5.30pm. Alternatively, you can email employment@dls.org.uk for employment queries or benefits@dls.org.uk for welfare benefits queries.

If you have a query about housing or community care and you are not eligible for legal aid call: 0207 791 9809. Leave a message during opening hours with your details to receive a call back. Their opening hours are Monday to Friday 2pm - 5:30pm. Monday and Wednesday will be for community care, Tuesdays and Thursdays will be for housing, Fridays will cover housing and community care. You can also email them helpline@dls.org.uk during helpline working hours. Please note that it will not be possible to leave a message or send an email outside helpline opening hours. If you do not receive a call back or email on the same day, you will need to contact the service again during opening hours.If you do not receive a call back or email on the same day, you will need to contact the service again during opening hours.

Mind provides legal information and general advice on mental health related law covering mental health, mental capacity, community care and human rights and discrimination/equality related to mental health issues. You can contact the Legal Line by calling 0300 466 6463 between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday (closed on public holidays) or by emailing legal@mind.org.uk

If you have a question about mental health problems, where to get help near you, treatment options, or advocacy services you can call: 0300 123 3393 Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm (except for bank holidays) or email info@mind.org.uk.

For support or to discuss your options you can call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or in Wales, Live Fear Free on 0808 8010 800. Both helplines are free, confidential, open for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are for anyone who is experiencing, or has experienced domestic abuse, or for anyone who is worried about domestic abuse happening to a friend, family member or colleague. You can contact Live Fear Free by email: info@livefearfreehelpline.wales or via the live chat service on their website. You can also text 0786007733, available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The National Domestic Violence Helpline offers translation facilities for callers whose first language is not English, and a service for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Finding Legal Options for Women Survivors, from RCJ Advice in partnership with Rights of Women, offers legal advice for women experiencing domestic abuse face to face, over phone, facetime and email, as well as help to get an injunction. Call: 020 3745 7707 between 9am-5pm or email FLOWS@rcjadvice.org.uk. You can use their postcode search online to find FLOWS services near you.

FLOWS also has an online platform that assists with the completion of a non-molestation order or occupation order. Create an account and it will direct you to accredited legal aid providers who can help you. You can also email info@livefearfreehelpline.wales. You can use their postcode search online to find FLOWS services near you.

OnlyMums and OnlyDads who offer online support to parents going through divorce or separation have a Green Phone initiative where legal professionals offer a free phone call with any parent who is a victim of domestic abuse looking for advice. Look for the green phone symbol next to the names of professionals on their Family Law Panel. You can also submit your query via the Get In Touch forms online at the following links Only Mums and Only Dads.

The National Centre for Domestic Violence provides a free, fast emergency injunction service to survivors of domestic violence regardless of their financial circumstances, race, gender or sexual orientation. Call: 0800 970 2070. Alternatively you can text: NCDV to 60777 and they will call you back. 

Rights of Women offers free, confidential legal advice for women in England and Wales on family law matters (for example, about domestic violence and abuse, divorce, cohabitation, finances and property on relationship breakdown, parental responsibility and arrangements for children and lesbian parenting). For women in England and Wales concerning family law matters, call: 020 7251 6577. Lines open Tuesday 7pm - 9pm, Wednesday 7pm - 9pm, Thursday 7pm - 9pm, and Friday 12pm - 2pm (closed on bank holidays). For women in London, call: 020 7608 1137. Lines open: Mondays 10am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm, Tuesdays 2pm - 4pm, Wednesdays 2pm - 4pm, Thursdays 10am - 12pm and 2pm to 4pm (closed on bank holidays). For women in England and Wales concerning criminal law matters, call: 020 7251 8887. Lines open: Tuesdays 10am-2pm, Thursdays 7pm - 9pm (closed on bank public holidays). For women in England and Wales concerning sexual harassment at work, call: 020 7490 0152. Lines open: Mondays 3pm - 5pm and Mondays 3pm - 5pm and 6pm - 8pm, Tuesdays 6pm - 8pm, Wednesdays 6pm - 8pm, Thursdays 12pm - 2pm and Fridays 10am - 12pm (closed on bank holidays).

Rights of Women are also currently able to offer telephone interpreting services on the London family law advice line. The caller will need to tell the advisor what language she speaks and will be put on hold while we call the interpreting service.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired you may be able to contact them using an app such as the Relay UK. If you are using the Relay UK App dial 18001 followed by the advice line desired. You can find out more information about the Relay UK app here or you can email Relay UK at text.relay.helpdesk@bt.com.

Women's Aid has online information about domestic abuse, has a forum and can be contacted through their instant messaging service – Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm and Weekends 10am – 6pm, or by email: helpline@womensaid.org.uk where they will aim to respond within 5 working days. 

Men's advice line If you are a man and experiencing domestic violence or abuse, or you are worried about someone you know who is suffering abuse, you can contact the Men's advice line on: 0808 801 0327. Open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. If your first language isn't English, they can arrange access to a telephone interpreter. You can also email them at: info@mensadviceline.org.uk Monday to Friday 9am-5pm or go to their website for their Web chat service. Wednesday 10am-11:30am and Thursday 2pm-4pm.

If you are worried about your own behaviour towards your current or ex-partner, or are you concerned for someone you know who is being abusive, help is available to stop this at Respect Phoneline with non-judgemental advice and access to behaviour change programmes. Freephone 0808 802 4040 Monday to Friday 10am-5pm or email info@respectphoneline.org.uk Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, or get Webchat support on Thursday 2pm – 4pm.

Mankind Initiative provides a confidential helpline for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers. Call: 01823 334 244 Monday to Friday from 10am - 4pm. They also have information online about how to report domestic abuse and access support services.

Galop provides confidential support to all members of the LGBT community experiencing domestic abuse, hate crime or sexual violence: 0800 999 5428 (0800 numbers are free from landlines and included in some mobile provider inclusive minutes). Open Monday - Thursday 10am - 8pm and Friday 10am - 4pm. You can also email them at: help@galop.org.uk. Webchat is available during their opening times. They will call you back if you can’t get through to them the first time. 

The Forced Marriage Unit runs a helpline to provide advice and support to victims of forced marriage. A forced marriage is where one or both people do not (or in cases of people with learning disabilities, cannot) consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used. It is a form of violence against women and men, domestic/child abuse and a serious abuse of human rights. If you are worried you might be forced into marriage or are worried about a friend or relative, you can call the Forced Marriage Unit on 0207 008 0151 (or +44 (0) 20 7008 0151 if you are calling from outside the UK) or email: fmu@fcdo.gov.uk.

ACE Education Advice & Training provides independent advice and information for parents on education issues in England. See: Advisory Centre for Education - education advice. If you are the parent or carer of a child at school and you would like to talk to an adviser you can call the confidential telephone adviceline on 0300 0115 142. Open Monday and Tuesday, 10am to 1pm. Term time only.

IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) offers free and independent information, advice and support for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in England. You find information about their free services and book a telephone appointment through their Advice Line on their website. Their call-in helpline is 0300 222 5899 and is open Tuesday to Thursday 9.30am - 2.30pm. The helpline provides legally-based information and next step advice on any educational issue that is a result of a child or young person’s SEND.

Child Law Advice provides specialist advice and information on child, family and education law to people living in England. For education law, call 0300 330 5485. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.  For family law call 0300 330 5480. Both telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm. You can book a call-back online from Monday to Friday 8.30am - 5pm. Webchat is available from Monday to Friday 8am-5.30pm. Email enquiries can also be submitted online.

Contact is a charity for families with disabled children living in England and Wales. They can help you understand more about how special educational needs are identified and assessed, who is responsible for providing help for your child at school or college and how to access support for them there. Call: 0808 808 3555 on  Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5pm (except Tuesdays with the slightly later opening time of 10.15am). You can also submit a query to the helpline through an online form or email helpline@contact.org.uk. The line is free to call from all UK landlines and mobiles. Beware - they cannot provide legal or medical advice. 

Disability Rights UK provides advice to disabled students studying in England. Their advisors can also support students who are studying in Wales or Scotland with general information on the Equality Act, welfare benefits and access to Higher Education. Call: 0330 995 0414. Line open Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am to 1pm. Or email: students@disabilityrightsuk.org For details see: Disabled Students Helpline.

Snap Cymru provides information, advice and support to families in Wales in relation to the special educational needs of their children and young people. You can call their information and advice line on 0808 801 0608, Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 4.30am. Or email them at: enquiries@snapcymru.org.

Education Otherwise is a membership organisation, which provides support and information for families whose children are being educated outside school. If you have a home education related enquiry and need advice you can call: 0300 124 5690 Monday - Friday 10am-6pm or email: enquiries@educationotherwise.org.

ACAS - Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service offers free advice and guidance on rights at work and employment law. Helpline number: 0300 123 1100. Line open Monday to Friday 8am-6pm. You can also contact the helpline using Relay UK (this used to be called Text Relay) by dialling: 18001 0300 123 1100. You can get helpline support in any language - just tell the person you talk to what language you prefer to speak.

The Anti Trafficking and Labour Exploitation Unit provides legal representation to victims of trafficking and labour exploitation. They can take on immigration, housing and compensation cases from across England and Wales related to these issues. They only take on cases referred by other agencies. So if you, or someone you know has been trafficked or is a victim of slavery, your local advice centre or community organisation should be able to help with referral. If you are a lawyer or support provider and would like advice for a survivor of trafficking or slavery who you are assisting please contact advice@atleu.org.uk. Atleu try to answer queries on Immigration and Compensation on Thursdays 11am-1pm. Housing and support advice is given on Thursdays 2.30pm - 4.30pm. 

The Disability Law Service provides free confidential legal advice to people with disabilities and their carers about employment law and discrimination at work, community care law, housing and benefits. Call: 0207 791 9800, Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5.30pm or email: employment@dls.org.uk. You can also contact them via their website and they will call or email you back. For general enquiries email: advice@dls.org.uk.

If you need representation at an employment tribunal, you may be eligible for help from the Free Representation Unit. They can only help if your hearing is being heard in London or the South East of England and if you are referred to them by another agency. Check their website for more details on who can refer to them. 

Advocate (formerly named The Bar Pro Bono Unit) can help find you a barrister who can provide you with free advice or representation at a tribunal hearing (or at court) anywhere in England and Wales. They can help with any legal issue as long as you are not eligible for legal aid and don't have enough money to pay for legal help. 

There are two ways to get help: you can be referred by an advice agency (such as a CAB or Law Centre), an MP or practising lawyer or you can apply directly online using their form and uploading your documents with it. You need to send a completed application form at least three weeks before the hearing or deadline for the piece of work you want help with.

Legal help is provided for one piece of work at a time, for example, you could be approved for some free legal advice, and then maybe some free representation depending on the outcome of the advice. Find out more about how it works and find the online form.

Once you have submitted your application, it is assessed by the casework team to make sure there is enough information about your case for a reviewer to decide if you are eligible for free help. The team may ask you for more documents or information if the form is not complete. Once the casework team is satisfied that they have enough information, your application will be sent to a senior reviewer to decide if your case fits the financial and legal merits. If the reviewer decides you are eligible and the work will take three days or less, the Advocate team will start looking for a barrister to help you. Because they rely on volunteers, they cannot guarantee to find someone, but they will do their best. If they can't find someone, they will let you know before your hearing.

Advocate finds barristers to help you with a particular task in your case. They cannot find someone to take a whole case for free. So if your application is successful, you will receive help for that specific task. After that, if you need further help you can apply again, providing at least three weeks' notice. Advocate offer a voicemail only call line 020 7092 3960 that can help you with your application. However, they cannot give legal advice over the phone. Leave your name, number, email address and a brief message outlining your query and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Maternity Action offers advice and information to help you understand and take up your rights and entitlements throughout your pregnancy, maternity leave and return to work. Contact the Maternity Rights Advice Line on: 0808 802 0029 where lines are open all weekdays except Wednesdays from 10am - 1pm. If you live in Greater Manchester and Cheshire East call: 0808 801 0488 Monday to Friday 10am - 1pm. If you live in Cheshire and Merseyside call: 0808 802 0062 Monday to Friday 10am - 1pm. If you are unable to reach them you may be able to find the answer to your query in one of their popular information sheets or try contacting them via their email advice contact form. They limit the number of email contact forms per day due to a large number of queries. Please check back the following day if you are unable to access the online contact form. They will aim to get in touch with you withing one week. For advice about NHS charges and access to maternity care, contact the Maternity Care Access Advice Line via their email advice contact form. They will aim to get in touch with you within 14 days.  

The Modern Slavery Helpline ffers callers who are potential victims help to consider their options, access crisis assistance, emotional support, help with access to social and legal services and help to connect with law enforcement agencies to get out of a situation and stay safe. If you don't speak English, they will connect you to an interpreter. Call 08000 121 700. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also file a report online via their contact form.

Protect provides free, independent and confidential legal advice to workers who are worried about wrong-doing at work and about whether or how to blow the whistle. Call: 020 3117 2520 or you can fill in an online contact form. Their Advice Line is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays: 9:30am - 1pm, 2pm - 5.30pm; Wednesdays and Fridays: 9:30am - 1pm. Anyone in need of advice outside of those times can reach them via their contact form and they can make arrangements for call backs.

Working Families provides free and confidential advice to parents and carers about their employment rights including maternity and paternity leave, rights to time off in an emergency, parental leave and flexible working. They can also advise on benefits for families. You can call their Legal Helpline on 0300 012 0312 Monday to Friday 11 - 2pm (closed on bank holidays). Beware that calls are not free, but charged at the same rate as national landline calls. You can also fill in their online advice form. They will aim to get back to you within 10 working days. 

The Environmental Law Foundation helps socially and economically disadvantaged communities to be heard on matters affecting the environment in which they live. Typical issues involve air and water quality, noise pollution, threats to wildlife habitat and biodiversity, use of public open spaces and threats to those spaces.

The Foundation provides free information and advice via in-house and university based law clinics, and a network of specialist environmental lawyers and technical experts. Call: 0330 123 0169 and speak to a member of their client service team who will take down your enquiry details. Alternatively, you can fill in an online form or email info17@elflaw.org.

Family Lives runs a confidential helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline), giving emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Call: 0808 800 2222. Line opens Monday to Friday, 9am - 9pm, and Saturday to Sunday 10am - 3pm. If you have a Skype account, you can open Skype Dialler and call 0808 800 2222 to be connected to the helpline confidentially and free of charge. You can set up a Skype account at www.skype.com. They have a live chat service that is open Monday to Friday 10.30am - 9pm. Closed on bank holidays. You can also contact them by email at askus@familylives.org.uk about any parenting or family issues. They aim to respond to emails in 24 hours excluding bank holidays. Please note that they are unable to respond to legal or medical issues, and they are not connected to social services.

Gingerbread offers support and expert advice on anything from dealing with a break-up, to going back to work or sorting out maintenance, benefits or tax credit issues. Call: 0808 802 0925. The helpline is open Monday 10am-12pm and 2pm-7pm, Tuesday 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm, Wednesday 10am-1pm and 4pm-7pm and Thursday 12pm-2pm. If you do not speak English as a first language, Gingerbread can call you back with an interpreter. Phone the helpline and tell the adviser which language you need and your phone number. They also provide lots of information and support forums on their website. You can also use their webchat to talk to their expert advisers: Monday 12pm-3pm, Tuesday 12pm-4pm, Wednesday 12pm-1pm and Thursday 12pm-2pm.

Gingerbread has an online forum which is a safe place for single parents to connect 24/7 to chat, and give and receive support. This organisation also offers a range of local and digital single parent groups provide a space to meet other people who understand what it's like to be a single parent.

RCJ Advice can provide free legal advice if you are involved in a family law case in England and Wales. They ask anyone who wants to access their service to download the family triage form from their homepage, complete it, and email it to familytriage@rcjadvice.org.uk.  Due to high demands for this service, they will not be able to help every case. 

The Child Law Advice service is run by Coram Children's Legal Centre and provides a child and family law service to children, their families and carers in England. Common areas of advice include local authority duties towards children and young people, care proceedings, child protection issues and disputes about child arrangements. Call: 0300 330 5480. Open Monday - Friday, 10am-4pm. They cannot advise you if you have a lawyer already. You can also book a callback from a member of their legal team, which is a paid-for service. Callbacks last one hour and you can book your callback slot online Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm. You can also request advice via email by filling in a form about your issue on their website.  Their web chat service is available from Monday to Friday 8am-5.30pm.

Rights of Women offers free, confidential legal advice for women in England and Wales on family law matters (for example, about domestic violence and abuse, divorce, cohabitation, finances and property on relationship breakdown, parental responsibility and arrangements for children and lesbian parenting). For women in England and Wales, call: 020 7251 6577. Line open Tuesday to Thursday, 7pm to 9pm, Fridays 12pm to 2pm (closed on public holidays). For women in London, call: 020 7608 1137. Line open Monday and Thursday 10am -12pm and 2pm -4pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 2pm - 4pm (closed on public holidays). 

Kinship provides free, independent and confidential advice, information and support to grandparents and other family members or friends caring for children who can't be cared for by their parents. Call: 0300 123 7015. Line open Monday to Friday 9.30am - 2pm. Or, you can fill in their online form. If you have lost (or are losing touch) with grandchildren you can get advice and support from Family Lives (more information on contacting them is listed above).

Resolution is a member organisation that believes in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to family law problems. If you are trying to deal with a problem like a divorce, how to make arrangements for your children or sort out your finances when you separate, you may want to speak to a solicitor who is a member of Resolution. You can search for a member here: Find a Resolution law professional.

Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory Service) has lots of useful information for parents and young people involved in the family court. Cafcass has a new telephone service for children and young people to share feedback: 0808 175 3333. Open Monday to Thursday 9am - 5pm and Friday 9am - 4.30pm. You can also fill in the online feedback form.

OnlyMums and Only Dads offers online support to parents going through divorce or separation. The site has a free web chat facility and email exchange service. OnlyMums and OnlyDads run the Family Law Panel.

The Family Law Panel (FLP)  offers a "reduced fees scheme" for individuals earning (as a guide) less than £20,000 per year and with less than £20,000 in accessible savings. Professionals offering advice under this scheme charge around £125 per hour (plus VAT) and can be identified next to the image of the professional through a pound sign with an arrow pointing down underneath it.

If you are elderly, disabled or have an illness, you may be able to get help with your social care needs, including help from your local council. Advicelocal has a section on disability and social care to help you find details of the support available to you locally; national information about your rights and entitlements; and details of independent advice organisations in your area who can help you get the help that you need. Just type in your postcode and see what's available in your area.

The Disability Law Service provides free legal advice to people with disabilities and their carers about community care law. If you have a query about housing or community care and you are not eligible for legal aid call: 0207 791 9809. Leave a message as the call will not be answered, Monday to Friday 2pm - 5.30pm. Monday to Wednesday will be for community care, Tuesdays and Thursdays will be for housing, Fridays will cover housing and community care. You can also email them at helpline@dls.org.uk during helpline working hours.

The Maternity Care Access Advice Service run by Maternity Action provides telephone and email advice and online information to help women get the maternity care they need, to advise women on whether they have to pay for their NHS maternity care and to help women to deal with problems relating to charging. to get in contact with them fill out the online form and they will respond within 14 days. They can also help with interpreters if needed. 

Mencap offers a free helpline service that gives advice and support for people with a learning disability, and their families and carers. It includes information and advice on social care including mental capacity and health and wellbeing. The helpline for England is currently closed due to a high volume of enquiries. You can fill out their online form, or email them at: helpline@mencap.org.uk. If you are in Wales, you can call 0808 8000 300 or email them at: helpline.wales@mencap.org.uk.

The Patients Association helpline provides free, confidential specialist information, advice and signposting about health and social care. Their advisers cannot give medical or legal advice. Call: 0800 345 7115, Monday to Friday 9.30am - 5pm. Calls outside these times will be answered as soon as possible if you leave a message with your telephone number or you can email: helpline@patients-association.org.uk.

Solicitors For the Elderly is an independent, national organisation of lawyers, such as solicitors, barristers, and chartered legal executives who provide specialist legal advice for older and vulnerable people, their families and carers. You can search for an accredited member of their organisation near you on their website. You can also telephone 020 8234 6186. Open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Please be aware this is the number of the SFE administration team who are not qualified to give legal advice, but who can help you to locate a solicitor in your area who may be able to help you. 

Shelter (England) gives advice over the phone about urgent housing problems. Call: 0808 800 4444. Open Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm (closed on bank holidays). Calls are free from UK landlines and all major UK mobile operators. They ask that you look at their online advice first or use their webchat service before you call the helpline due to high demand.  Webchat is open Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm and closed on bank holidays.

 Shelter (England) also has some advice centres where you can get personal, face to face advice which you can see listed online at Shelter advice centres. 

Shelter Cymru can advise on housing problems if you live in Wales. If your problem is urgent call: 08000 495 495. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (Freephone). They ask you to read their online advice and chat to an adviser through their webchat first. Shelter Cymru also runs advice surgeries across Wales. To find out when there is an adviser in your area, see: Shelter Cymru - advice near you.

The AIRE Centre (Advice on Individual Rights in Europe) may be able to help you if you have a query concerning EU law, for example, if you have a question about your residence status or right to access benefits or you have a query about making an application to the European Court of Human Rights. To find out if the centre can help you, you can either email: info@airecentre.org or call 020 7831 4276. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10.30am - 6pm (closed on public holidays). 

Ukraine Advice Project UK connects Ukrainians with qualified lawyers for free advice on UK visas and refugee rules.

Asylum Justice provides free legal services to asylum seekers and refugees in Wales in cases where legal aid is not available. If you need to request advice please either fill out this online form if you are a new client, or this contact form if you are an existing client. If you cannot fill out the online form, call and 029 2049 9421and leave a message with your name, phone number and query.

The Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP) specialises in asylum support appeals and gives free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers at the First Tier Tribunal (Asylum Support). This is called the ASAP Duty Scheme. If you are an asylum seeker, have an appeal at the Asylum Support Tribunal and need help on the day of your hearing they may be able to represent you for free. You need to fill in a client declaration form and email it to referrals@asaproject.org.uk. If you have any questions about making a referral, call 0795 097 7701. Please note that you cannot get legal advice by calling this number. If you are an asylum-seeker adviser, you can contact their adviceline by calling: 0203 716 0283 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 2pm - 4pm.

Bail for Immigration Detainees helps people in immigration detention (whether in prison or a removal centre) by advising them how to apply for bail. To contact them, call: 020 7456 9750. Line opens Monday to Thursday, 10am - 12pm. You can leave a message outside these times. You can also email: casework@biduk.org.You can also contact them by Fax: 020 3745 5226 or by post. Freepost address: Freepost BID London. Address (requires stamp): Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID), 1B Finsbury Park Road, London N4 2LA.

If you are detained in an Immigration Removal Centre you can ask for a free, 30 minute appointment with a solicitor from one of the legal aid firms visiting your removal centre. There will be a number of firms visiting on a rota basis, meaning that different lawyers visit each week. You can find information about the current rotas and how to make an appointment here: : Information for detainees - how can I find an immigration lawyer?

The Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA) has a directory of their members on their website. You can search this to find an immigration adviser near you: ILPA directory

Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants provides free, confidential legal advice in very limited circumstances:

• If you are in the UK without documentation (an 'irregular migrant') call 0800 160 1004 for free and confidential advice. Line open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am - 1pm.
  
• If you are a foreign national in a UK prison and need immigration advice you can call their free and confidential helpline on: 020 7251 8708. 
• If you are a member of the trades union UNISON, you can get free initial advice on all aspects of immigration law. Contact the union and ask them to get in touch with the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants on your behalf to arrange a phone call. 

The Migrant Children’s Project, run by the Coram Children's Legal Centre, provides specialist legal advice and representation on all issues affecting migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children and young people, whether they are separated or in families. Advice is provided by email only: mcpadvice@coramclc.org.uk.

Migrant Help can advise you about claiming asylum, the asylum process, asylum support, accessing healthcare and any other asylum issues. They can advise you, for free, in your language from anywhere in the UK. Call: 0808 8010503 - helpline is open 24/7, 365 days a year. The helpline is temporarily closed. 

The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) regulates immigration advisers. You can find a regulated immigration adviser here: Find an immigration adviser or call OISC on 0345 000 0046 to speak to OISC staff. Open Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm. You can also email at info@oisc.gov.uk.

The Refugee Council provides help and support to asylum seekers and refugees: Refugee Council - How can we help you? 

Rights of Women offers free, confidential legal advice for women in England and Wales on immigration and asylum law (for example, about the rights of Europeans and their families in the UK, claiming asylum, trafficking, domestic violence and immigration law). They have different helplines depending on what your problem is. For advice on immigration law including domestic violence and family/ private life, claiming asylum, trafficking or financial support call 020 7490 7689 Mondays and Thursdays 10am - 2pm and 2pm - 4pm. There is also a special advice line for those on the EU Settlement Scheme, call: 020 7118 0267 Tuesdays and Wednesdays 11am - 1pm. 

Rainbow Migration provides advice for LGBTQI asylum seekers but only if you are already in the UK. If you need free and confidential advice or support with your asylum application, you can fill out their online form to get help. If you cannot complete the form or need some online assistance completing it, you can call their helpline: 0203 752 5801 or contact them through their email: hello@rainbowmigration.org.uk.

Action against Medical Accidents(AvMA) provides free and confidential advice and support to people affected by medical accidents. Please see if you can find the information you need on their website first before you call the helpline. If you cannot find what you need there is an online help form or call the helpline on: 0345 123 2352. Line open Monday to Friday, 10am - 3.30pm. Please note this is not a freephone number. 

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers(APIL) campaigns to change the law, protect and enhance access to justice, and improve the services provided for people who have been injured in road accidents, accidents at work or medical accidents. You can search for the best injury lawyer for you on their website or call: 0115 943 5400. Line open 9am - 5pm week days (closed on public holidays). 

Mind provides legal information on mental health related law covering mental health, mental capacity, community care and human rights and discrimination/equality related to mental health issues. You can contact the Legal Line by calling 0300 466 6463 between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday (closed on public holidays).

The Law Society's Mental Health Accreditation Scheme can help you find a lawyer who is competent in mental health law. You can download a list of currently accredited scheme members from here Mental Health Accreditation Scheme. To find the list go down to the section called 'Current members'.

MoneyHelper (previously Pensions Advisory Service) has a section with guides on pensions issues. Their help, from pension specialists, is impartial and free - online or over the phone.

For free pensions guidance, contact MoneyHelper using their webchat or over the phone for impartial and free help. The webchat is open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and is closed weekends and bank holidays. Call: 0800 011 3797 or their overseas number: 020 7932 5780. If you are self-employed, call: 0345 602 7021. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm and are closed weekends and bank holidays.  You can also submit a question through an online enquiry form.

MoneyHelper also offers a free service called Pension Wise that provides impartial government guidance about your defined contribution pension options. Appointments last between 45-60 minutes over the phone or face-to-face. You can book your appointment online or you can ring 0800 138 3944. If you are calling from outside the UK, phone +44 20 3733 3495. To qualify for an appointment you must be 50 years old or over and have a defined contribution pension. Booking lines are open Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm.

Planning Aid England runs a free advice service offering a limited amount of general advice on planning related issues in England by email. To access this, go to their website and fill in their online enquiry form. They also have online resources which deal with all aspects of the planning system in England. 

Planning Aid Wales has free planning advice on its website. It also offers a free advice service to assist members of the public and community groups needing help with a planning matter. They also have a helpline service which you can call on 02920 625 000, Monday, Tuesday and Friday 11am - 1pm. The Helpline service provides three different levels of assistance – information, advice or support. The level of service available depends on the eligibility of the person, group or business seeking assistance. There is guidance on the website to work out which service is best for you and what you might be eligible for.  

TaxAid helps people on a low income with a tax problem if HMRC can't sort it out. As a guideline, a low income is up to about £380 a week before tax for a single person – equivalent to £20,000 per year. TaxAid does not advise on tax credits, council tax, welfare benefits, corporation tax or give tax planning advice. TaxAid asks that you look at their online resources to answer your problem first before calling their helpline. Helpline: 0345 120 3779. Open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. There is also an online contact form you can fill in if phoning is difficult for you. It can take up to 14 days for a reply via the online contact form. 

If you are on low income (less than £20000 annually), not self employed and aged 60 or over, contact Tax Help for Older People. Call: 01308 488066 Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm (excluding bank holidays) or you can submit an online contact form.You can also send a letter to: Tax Help for Older People
, Unit 10A, Pineapple Business Park, Salway Ash, 
Bridport
, Dorset
, DT6 5DB .

If you are representing yourself in court or at a tribunal (someone doing this is often called a Litigant in Person), or thinking about it, there may be free help and advice you can get at different stages of your case. Here we explain what each service can help you with and how you can access them.

What kind of help do you need?

There are different kinds of organisations offering different kinds of help. We know it's incredibly frustrating when you can't find help or finally get an appointment only to realise the person you are speaking to can't help you in the way you had hoped. So here's our explanation of the types of help you may be able to get. If you are thinking of taking a case to court or tribunal, different types of help are likely to be helpful at different times. 

When we say an organisation offers legal advice we mean that they have specialist legal knowledge and are trained to give advice about your specific case, help you work out if it's worth taking it to court, and explain court procedures, and rules.  

By representation, we mean that somebody can come with you to your court or tribunal hearing and speak on your behalf.

When we say an organisation offers emotional support we mean that they can provide someone to talk to and someone to come to court with you to support you.

By practical advice we mean that they can help you with practical tasks that don’t require in-depth specialist legal knowledge – for example, they can help you organise your papers and your thoughts, explain what happens in court, and refer you to legal advice agencies.

Information is general guidance – often as leaflets, guides, websites or short films. It can explain processes, or the law, and the best information can help you work out what to do, and how to do it, but is not tailored to your exact situation. 

Who can help?

Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau

You can get free legal advice from the RCJ Advice Bureau if you are involved in a civil or family case in the County Court, High Court or Court of Appeal across England and Wales. Their solicitors can give legal advice on things like how to complete forms, what steps to take, and how to reply to court papers. They can also arrange mediation or representation. 

So many people need to use this service that they are only able to offer a maximum of three appointments to each person.

During the coronavirus pandemic all appointments were happening over telephone or videochat. Some face to face appointments are now available. Look at the Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau website for the latest details of how to access their services.

FLOWS for women survivors of domestic abuse and front line workers supporting women survivors can be contacted at 0203 745 7707 or email flows@rcjadvice.org.uk. Open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm.

You can also fill out their online form and they’ll get back to you when it's safe and convenient.

 Support Through Court

Support Through Court aims to help you represent yourself more confidently in court, by providing practical advice, information and emotional support in civil courts. Support Through Court volunteers can help you fill in forms, organise your papers and your thoughts, and refer you to organisations who can give you legal advice or representation.

If you want an appointment at one of their office locations, you can book for an appointment to be by phone, videocall or face-to-face. They also offer a National Helpline Service on 03000 810 006. Open Monday to Friday 9.30am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 4.30pm. You can also email the helpline: nationalhelpline@supportthroughcourt.org

Advocate

LawWorks

LawWorks supports around 200 advice clinics that provide free initial legal advice to individuals on various areas of law including social welfare issues, employment law, housing matters and consumer disputes. If you are thinking of taking a case to court, get advice first. A clinic will be able to advise you of other possible options, if it is worth it, and what your first steps might be. Some clinics may also be able to draft a letter for you.

During the coronavirus pandemic, all clinics have been closed to face-to-face appointments. Some clinics are now starting to open and offer face-to-face appointments.

See if there is a clinic near you that is providing telephone, email or digital help: LawWorks clinics network

See their guidance on what you should  have ready if you have an appointment remotely: What to bring to a legal advice clinic

Advicenow

Advicenow produces free high-quality guides for people representing themselves that explain what you need to do and, most importantly, show you how to do it. Our guides also explain all the legal terms and help with the skills and confidence you need. We don’t have guides to help with every issue but we add more resources as often as we can. 

Our Top Picks Service also provides handpicked links to the best help available elsewhere on the web. You are on our website now. Go back to the Going to court section to see our most useful resources for people representing themselves at court or tribunal. 

Expert help from a solicitor on our panel

We have teamed up with Resolution to provide a panel of family law solicitors that can advise users of our most popular family law guides for a reduced, fixed fee. So far it is only available for users of:

• A survival guide to sorting out child arrangements

• How to apply for a court order about the arrangements for your children without the help of a lawyer 

• How to apply for a financial order without the help of a lawyer, and

• A survival guide to sorting out your finances when you get divorce.

You can see up front exactly what areas of your case they can advise you on and how much their help will cost you  - so that you can be certain you can afford it. Even better, we have designed a process to make getting this help as cheap as possible for you, by making sure that you use the solicitor’s time as efficiently as possible. See About Expert help from one of our panel of family solicitors for more information or go to one of the above guides.

There are lots of charities and other organisations who run advice services for particular groups of people, for example:

• Age UK provides information and advice to older people, and their friends and relatives. You can find your local Age UK service here: Find your local Age UK service or contact Age UK Advice on 0800 678 1602. Lines open 8am to 7pm 365 days a year.
• Age Cymru Advice provides information and advice to older people, and their relatives, friends and carers in Wales. You can contact Age Cymru Advice and talk to someone in Welsh or English on 0300 303 44 98. Lines open Monday to Friday. 9am - 4pm. Alternatively, email them at advice@agecymru.org.uk
• Independent Age offers award-winning information, advice and support for older age. Their current focus is loneliness, poverty and health and care. You can call their freephone line on 0800 319 6789. Opening hours are Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.30pm. You can also email the Helpline team: helpline@independentage.org. (Closed at weekends and on public holidays). 
• The Disability Law Service provides free legal advice over the telephone about employment, disability discrimination, community care, and welfare benefits to people with disabilities and their carers.
• The Eastern European Resource Centre provides free advice to Central and Eastern European migrants. Check their website for details of helplines and times as they vary depending on which language you would like to speak in. 
• Gingerbread offers support and expert advice on anything from dealing with a break-up, to going back to work or sorting out maintenance, benefits or tax credit issues. They have information pages, a forum, single parent groups, helpline webchat and a helpline. If you do not speak English as a first language, Gingerbread can call you back with an interpreter. Phone the helpline and tell the adviser which language you need and your phone number. They ask you to try and find the answers on their website before you call the helpline due to high demand. Helpline: 0808 802 0925. The helpline is open Monday to Thursday at the following times: Monday 10am - 12pm and 2pm - 7pm, Tuesdays 10am - 1pm and 4pm - 7pm, Wednesdays 10am - 1pm and 4pm - 7pm and Thursdays 10am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm. The helpline is closed on all public holidays. Webchat is open Mondays 12pm - 3pm, Tuesdays 12pm - 4pm, Wednesdays 12pm - 1pm and Thursdays 12pm - 2pm.
  
• Gypsies, Roma and Travellers and their families can get legal advice from Friends Families and Travellers - a national charity that works on behalf of all Gypsies, Roma and Travellers regardless of ethnicity, culture or background - about planning, education, accommodation, health and discrimination issues. Call: 0127 323 4777 Monday to Friday, 10am - 4.30pm. Closed on bank holidays.
• Mind has services for people with mental health problems.
• The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society funds the MS legal advice line to provide free confidential legal advice to people affected by MS in England and Wales on employment, disability discrimination, goods and services, community care and welfare benefits. Call: 020 7791 9800 or email: msadvice@dls.org.uk.
• National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) offers a specialist legal service for children, young people and vulnerable adults in the area of family law. For information about how to contact the service, see NYAS legal services or call: 0808 808 1001 open 9am-8pm or email to help@nyas.net.
• The Prisoners' Advice Service offers free legal advice and support to adult prisoners in England and Wales. You can get in touch with them by calling 020 7253 3323 Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-12.30pm and 2pm-4.30pm. You can contact them through their online form which is checked daily. Or you can write to: Prisoners’ Advice Service, PO Box 46199, London EC1M 4XA. In addition to the advice line, the Prisoner’s Advice Service offers a Freephone service for women prisoners. Call 0800 024 6205 on Tuesday morning between 10am and 12.30pm.
• The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) can help you with employment and discrimination issues relating to sight loss. They can also advise you if you are the relative or carer of someone with sight loss, and need help to support them. Telephone 0303 123 9999. Line open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm. Email: helpline@rnib.org.uk or say, “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline.”
• Students' Unions - if you are a student, your student union may run a student advice centre that provides information, advice and in some circumstances representation. Check your student union website for details.
• Working Families provides services for people who work and care for children. Their Legal Helpline gives parents and carers advice on in work benefits and employment rights such as maternity and paternity leave, rights to time off in an emergency, and parental leave, as well as helping them to negotiate the flexible hours they want. Call: 0300 012 0312 Monday to Friday 11am- 2pm or you can fill in their online advice contact form and they will get back to you within 10 working days. Closed on bank holidays.
• Bawso provides advice, services and support to black minority ethnic communities and individuals in Wales who are affected by abuse, violence and exploitation. Call their helpline: 0800 731817 open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or email: info@bawso.org.uk.
  
• IKWRO is a charity that provides advice and support to Middle Eastern, North African and Afghan women and girls living in the UK who have experienced, or are at risk of all forms of “honour” based abuse, including; forced marriage, child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM), or domestic abuse.  Call: 0207 920 6460 Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 5.30pm or email:  info@ikwro.org.uk.  For out-of-hours emergencies call the following numbers – for Kurdish / Arabic/ English: 07846 275246, for Farsi / Dari / English: 07846 310157. You can also submit a contact form online.
• Youth Access – you can use their website to search for services that provide information, advice, counselling and support to young people in your area: Find your local service for young people

Solicitors

For some legal problems, you may need the help of a solicitor. Different solicitors specialise in different legal problems. You should always try to get a solicitor who specialises in dealing with problems like yours.

You can search for a solicitor on the Law Society website here: Find a solicitor in England and Wales

You can also search for a solicitor who does legal aid in your area here: Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator.

Law Centres are staffed by both solicitors and other workers who specialise in helping people with employment, immigration, education, housing, community care, and benefit problems. Law Centres usually only help people who work or live in their area. Find a Law Centre near you.

Barristers

Some barristers take queries or cases directly from members of the public. They are called ‘public access’ barristers. The Bar Council has a directory of public access barristers on its website, at: Public access to barristers.