Your County - Putting Kent First

Kent 4 star Council

Where to get legal advice

Understanding aspects of the law is a complex matter, and dealing with agencies involved in the law and order can be daunting. Below are a number of voluntary and official organisations to help make this process easier.

Useful websites

Each link opens in a new window.

ACAS
ACAS exists to help people work together effectively. This ranges from setting up the right structures and systems to finding a way of settling disputes when things go wrong.

Accident Compensations
Find a solicitor in your area who is an expert in personal injury.

Age Concern
Age Concern is the UK's largest organisation working with and for older people.

Citizens Advice Bureau

The Adviceguide website is the online Citizens Advice Bureau service that provides independent advice on your rights:

  • practical, up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, including benefits and housing, family (including change of name), employement rights and discrimination, debt, consumer and tax issues
  • links to our directory of Citizens Advice Bureaux
  • information in a wide range of languages
  • a wide selection of fact sheets to print off
  • details of other reliable online sources of information

Commission for Racial Equality
The CRE works towards the elimination of racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and encourages good relations between people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Community Legal Service Direct
Need information on a legal problem? Want to know who and where your local adviser is? Does it cost anything and can you get financial help? The aim of the Community Legal Service is to ensure that people can get information and advice about their legal rights and help with enforcing them. Bringing together legal aid solicitors, Citizens' Advice Bureaux, Law Centres, local authority services and other organisations in local networks.

Compactlaw - Free Legal Information
The leading law portal in the UK providing legal documents and services for English law.

Court Service
Within this site, you will find a wide range of information covering:

  • details on all our courts and how to find them
  • Hearing lists for the Supreme Court offices and some Crown Courts
  • information on procedures and processes
  • forms and guidance to help you when using the courts
  • annual reports and business plans

Criminal Injuries

This website is designed to provide information about the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, aimed to help innocent victims of violent crime or those injured trying to apprehend criminals or prevent a crime.

Criminal Justice System Online
If you have come into contact with the criminal justice system as a victim of crime, a witness, juror or you have been accused or convicted of a crime then this site can help.

Criminal Records Bureau
The CRB - an executive agency of the Home Office - is set up to help organisations make safer recruitment decisions. By providing wider access to criminal record information, the CRB helps employers in the public, private and voluntary sectors identify candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involving contact with children or other vulnerable members of society.

Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service is responsible for prosecuting people in England and Wales charged by the police with a criminal offence.

Department for Constitutional Affairs
The DCA is responsible in government for upholding justice, rights and democracy.

  • Justice - responsibilities include running the courts, and improving the justice system
  • Rights - responsibilities include human rights and information rights law
  • Democracy - responsibilities include law and policy on running elections and modernising the constitution

Direct Law
Simply tap in your requirements and go direct to a solicitor who can deliver the right solution now.

Directory of Ombudsmen
This site lists the ombudsmen and other complaint-handling bodies who may be able to help you if you have a complaint. Ombudsmen are an independent and impartial means of resolving certain disputes outside the courts. They cover various public and private bodies and look into matters after a complaint has been made to the relevant body.

Divorce Aid
Divorce Aid, an independent group of professionals able to give divorce advice, support and information.

Divorce UK
Advice on your rights.

Equal Opportunities Commission
Working to eliminate sex discrimination.

European Court of Human Rights

Freelaw.co.uk
Free legal information on thousands of topics.

Health & Safety Executive
The HSE ensures that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled.

Jury Service
This site takes you through what happens on jury service and explains the stages and procedures that you will experience when you attend court to serve.

Identity Theft Website
This website has been produced by the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee, a collaboration between UK financial bodies, government and the police to combat the threat of identity theft.

Infolaw
Browse lawyers on the web.

Information Commissioner
The Information Commissioner is an independent official appointed by the Crown to oversee the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. His function is to promote public access to official information and to protect the personal information of individuals.

Kent Criminal Justice Board
The Board's aim is to improve public confidence in the Kent Criminal Justice System, and explain how the criminal justice system works and how it can help local people.

Kent Police

Law Centres Federation
Provides a free and independent professional legal service to people who live or work in their catchment areas.

Law Group
A national network of independent solicitors.

Law Net
A large amount of free legal advice.

Legal Services Commission
An executive, non-departmental public body created under the Access to Justice Act 1999 to replace the Legal Aid Board.

Money Claim
Online court service if either:

  • someone owes you money and you wish to start or continue a claim or
  • you have received a claim pack from the court and wish to respond to the claim made against you

National Solicitors Network
Find the solicitor you need. You can choose a local, general practice solicitor or a specialist.

Office of Supervision of Solicitors
Deals with complaints about solicitors and regulates their work.

Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is an independent body that deals with complaints from members of the public about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines. Its service to the public is free, quick and easy. It aims to deal with most complaints in just 32 working days - and there is no cost to the people complaining.

Public Record Office
The national archive of the United Kingdom. It brings together and preserves the records of central government and the courts of law, and makes them available to all who wish to consult them.

Solicitors Online.com
Find a solicitor or check their details in this directory of law firms in England and Wales.

Standards Board
The Standards Board for England is responsible for promoting high ethical standards and investigating allegations that elected councillors' behaviour may have fallen short of the required standards.

Street Works
Information on all aspects of works to roads carried out by public utilities such as electricity, gas, telecommunications and water companies, or their contractors.

Student Law
Information on training, etc.

UK Law Online
This site is designed to promote understanding of the law and the legal system of the United Kingdom by means of formats and language that is non-technical and accessible to members of the general public.

UK Legal
A geographical list of solicitors throughout the United Kingdom.

UK Parliament
Information about the House of Commons and House of Lords. Find out which constituency you are in, who your local MP is and how to contact them.

Youth Justice Board
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is a non-departmental public body that aims to prevent offending by children and young people under the age of 18.

Copyright Kent County Council 2009