Free Legal Information on the Web for Individuals Organised by Topics
maintained by Delia Venables
Please note that this page provides links to sources of legal information on the web, but I have no means of knowing whether the information provided on these sites is correct or not. If you know of other useful sources of free legal information, please tell me - delia@venables.co.uk.
Last updated on April 21st.

Car Crime, Driving Law, Road Traffic Law

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CM Solicitors UK – specialists in driving, speeding and motoring offences Carter Moore Solicitors are specialists in driving, speeding and motoring offences. Offering free initial advice about keeping your driving licence, speeding ticket offences, traffic light offences, licence offences, insurance offences, drink driving offences, dangerous driving offences, driving without due care or any type of road traffic offence.

(For Car Crime, Driving Law and Road Traffic Law in Scotland, see here)

  • Car Crime provides information for innocent purchasers of vehicles with an adverse history. The site comes from Claims Management & Adjusting Ltd.
  • Carter Moore Solicitors(CM) are specialist road traffic solicitors dedicated to defending drivers charged with road traffic offences. There is extensive available on the site covering all types of offence, the likely outcome and what the person can do to make the best of the situation.
  • Driving Law is a company providing extensive free information on different types of driving offence and what action to take. They also provide a free initial answer to a query by email and/or a fixed price phone conversation (up to 30 minutes) for £39 with a qualified solicitor or barrister. The site promotes the legal services of Paul A. Gaskin Solicitors
  • Geoffrey Miller of Manchester has two extensive specialised sites, www.motoroffence.co.uk, subtitled "Defending Drivers Nationwide" and www.xalc.co.uk, a specialised site for alcohol related offences. Each of these sites has a massive amount of useful (free) information which would provide essential reading for someone with a problem in these areas. They provide a free telephone assessment of a case, including evenings or weekends. They also provide information (in cooperation with legal publisher Lawpack) on fighting lesser motoring offences and parking tickets.
  • Motoring Lawyers, a firm of solicitors in Altrincham, Cheshire, say "If you're facing prosecution or disqualification for any motoring offence, anywhere in the country, you need specialist help - fast."
  • MotoringLaw provides information on the site on different types of motoring offences and they will give you free information by phone or email. MotoringLaw is part of Henry & Co. a leading North West criminal defence firm.
  • Roadside Lawyer provides free legal guidance online on all aspects of road law in the UK, both for accidents and if accused of a motoring offence. You fill in your question online in a special form and the answer is returned to you. Questions and answers (without personal details) are also published on the site. The service is free.
  • Road Law is a section from Law on the Web with information on motoring and road traffic offences. They also offer a fixed fee motorists' legal advice and representation scheme.
  • Traffic Motoring Law from London firm Saunders provides information on situations where your licence in jeopardy: Drink Driving, Speeding, Failing to Notify Driver Details, Driving without Due Care and Use of a mobile phone whilst driving.

    Car Crime, Driving Law and Road Traffic Law in Scotland...

    Sponsored link...
    roadtrafficlaw.com solicitors - road traffic law specialists roadtrafficlaw.com is a Glasgow firm which deals exclusively in road traffic law. The site offers a great deal of free information on road traffic law in Scotland and how to protect your licence. They will provide a free assessment of your case. More than 80% of their clients keep their driving licences!

  • roadtrafficlaw.com is a Glasgow firm run by solicitor Graham Walker. Their lawyers have over 30 years of experience in criminal defence work between them. They deal exclusively in road traffic law. The site offers a great deal of free information on road traffic law in Scotland and how to protect your licence. They will provide a free assessment of your case.
  • theroadtrafficlawyer.com is a site from Glasgow firm Michael Lyon. The firm covers traffic cases throughout Scotland from drink driving to speeding. They will provide free initial advice/assessment.

    Consumer Issues, including holidays, pets and animals generally

  • Citizens Advice Bureau provides extensive and detailed information on consumer affairs
  • The Office of Fair Trading is the department of government responsible for fair trading. There is a mass of information on consumer topics on this site.
  • Trading Standards Central provides information for consumers and businesses, schools, advice and information centres, community organisations, local councils, business support agencies and trade associations. You can input your postal code and find your local Trading Standards Office.
  • Consumer Education is a lively new site for young people designed to educate them in consumer matters, including law. There is a "situation based guide" to consumer law which is a series of "what if" scenarios relating to poor goods and services, returning goods, lost items and finance. The site is designed to be part of the new curriculum subject of "citizenship". There is an extensive set of links to consumer-related web sites.
  • Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service, supported by the Department of Trade and Industry. It says "We provide clear, practical, impartial advice to help you sort out problems and disagreements you may be having with suppliers of goods or services. From overcharging to faulty goods, from dodgy workmanship to reporting dishonest traders and scams, our advisers are ready to offer solutions for individual problems. We offer help and advice to every single consumer in Great Britain (regardless of age, gender, social background or ethnic group) who is buying or has bought goods or services. Consumers in Northern Ireland should contact ConsumerLine for advice and information. The advice and information we give is free and you can call as many times as you need to. Telephone calls are charged for via the 0845 number, which will cost no more than 4p per minute for BT customers (other networks may vary).
  • Consumer Rights Expert is a public interest website at focused on understanding peoples' rights as consumers. Topics covered include advertising and selling, credit and store cards, data protection, dining out, financial health, holidays, leisure, propetry, shopping, transportation and utilities. The information is provided in a series of articles written by professional journalists and experts, and new articles are added to the site on a regular basis.
  • Oxfordshire Trading Standards Department provides a large amount of general consumer information.
  • Trading Standards Net is a lively site providing much information and further links.
  • Holiday Law is a site set up by solicitors Andrea & Co. to provide a fixed fee (29.38) information and email-based service for those who have booked a holiday, where a tour operator is responsible for providing accommodation and transport or some other tourist service, such as airport transfers etc. but where the person is dissatisfied with the holiday. The site says that "It doesn't have to be a complete disaster to claim compensation." (The service does not cover personal injury).
  • Doglaw opens with a quick bark, there are a couple of (small) dogs running around the site and menu items are shown as paw marks. This is the site of sole practitioner Trevor Cooper, of Ash, near Canterbury, Kent. The site contains extracts of legislation relating to pets, a section of FAQ's (dangerous dogs, barking dogs, number of dogs allowed in planning law, damages, custody/access, sheep worrying, insurance, wills.... and so on. There is also a good set of doggie-related links. There is a quote from the Telegraph about Trevor "He is the pets' saviour, St Francis of Assisi of the law courts, defender of dogs".
  • horselaw is a site from sole practitioner Jane Phillips, of Tavistock, Devon. There is a legal update on the site.
  • Hegarty & Co. - Peterborough, offers useful information on consumer topics.
  • Robson Mclean - Edinburgh, offers useful information on consumer topics.

    Commercial Sites offering information on this topic:

  • compactlaw.co.uk
  • Freelawyer
  • Legal Guide Dog is a CD costing £24.99 which covers many types of consumer problems including Nightmare Holiday, Ruined Wedding, Dodgy Tradesmen, Disastrous Purchase, Unacceptable Services and Devious Doorstep Sales person.

    Conveyancing (buying and selling property)

  • ExploreHomeInformationPacks is a non profit-making site designed to provide overall information on HIPs for the ordinary person. There are sections on Benefits of HIPs, How Useful is a HIP, What Will HIPs Change about the House Buying Process?, Buying a Home, Important Things to Look Out For, Questions a Homebuyer Should ask, & Receiving a HIP. There are over 40 articles on these and related HIPs topics written by property experts.

    These firms offer information on conveyancing (and several of these offer on-line conveyancing quotes):

  • Barcan Woodward - Bristol City Centre, North Bristol, South Bristol.
  • Gordon Bancks & Co. - Worcestershire.
  • Brethertons - Rugby and Banbury, provide useful free fact sheets on buying and selling houses.
  • Cruickshanks - London.
  • Fidler & Pepper - Nottinghamshire, offers a "Beginners Guide" as well as conveyancing quotes on line.
  • Thomas Flavell & Sons - Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, offers information on buying and selling a house, first time buyers and remortgaging
  • Gordons Cranswick - Leeds, Bradford and Keighley
  • Learnedcounsel.com (the firm of Gabb & Co., Hereford, Abergavenny) offers information on Property for Sale
  • Hunt & Hunt - Romford, Essex, give a Guide to Moving House
  • Jarian Solicitors - Pinner, Middlesex, provides extensive guides to buying and selling
  • Kaye Tesler & Co. - London, can carry out the work online if you wish.
  • MSB - Wavertree and Allerton offer a specialised site theconveyancingsolicitors.co.uk which provides extensive information.
  • Parkinson Wright - Worcester, Droitwich, Evesham and Pershore, provide information on mortgages and surveys.
  • Pearson Maddin - New Malden and Surbiton
  • Penmans - Coventry, Kenilworth and Wellesbourne, offer areyoumovinghouse.co.uk with a good FAQ section
  • Steadman Jones & Bell - Ammanford, Carmarthenshire
  • Terry & Co. - Essex.
  • Trethowans - Salisbury and Southampton, offers information on buying and selling and what to look out for.
  • Wallace & Co. - Balham, London.
  • White & Bowker - Winchester, Southampton and Eastleigh, provides online (instant) conveyancing quotations.
  • Solicitors Property Shop, operating mainly so far in the North East of England, offers a service for buying and selling property and also renting.
  • Wannop & Fox - Chichester, provides detailed information in a Home Moving Guide as well as more unusual aspects like contaminated land, listed buildings and joint ownership.
  • Wheadon & Co. - Water Orton and Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, provide an extensive Conve?ancing Guide as well as online quotations and a mortgage calculator.
  • Young & Pearce - Nottingham, provides an extensive Home Buyers Guide.

  • Licensed Conveyancers are qualified specialist property lawyers but not necessarily solicitors. All conveyancing - essentially the legal processes involved in transferring buildings and/or land from one owner to another and dealing with the financial transactions - was the sole responsibility of solicitors until 1987. Under current legislation, it is now possible for other people to become conveyancers, known as Licensed conveyancers. Banks, lenders, property developers and solicitors employ Licensed conveyancers. Many Licensed conveyancers practise on their own or in partnership. There is a directory of licensed conveyancers on the site.

    Commercial Companies offering Advice and Assistance

  • compactlaw.co.uk
  • Freelawyer

  • abode conveyancing is a company helping people buying and selling their house to find a specialist conveyancing solicitor at a very good rate. They have negotiated prices for solicitors which are far better than the client can receive by contacting the firm direct; solicitors pay a fee of 50 for each referral. The firms involved use email at every opportunity instead of traditional mail and use the abode online case tracking system which emails or sends SMS updates when a change takes place on their file. Clients can also login to check their case progress.

    ....in Northern Ireland

  • PropertyDirectNI is a legal resource site for anyone buying/selling property in Northern Ireland, set up by Wilson Nesbitt Solicitors of Belfast. There are 50 pages of detailed information on the buying and selling process in Northern Ireland and also instant conveyancing quotes on-line and a mortgage calculator.

    ....in Ireland

  • Dermot P Coyne, Dublin solicitors, offer an online guide to buying and selling property in Ireland.
  • Duncan Grehan of Dublin, provide information on property purchase (buying and selling) in Ireland and Irish property trends.
  • O'Donnell McKenna - Donegal, offer a checklist of things to consider when buying a house.
  • Paul McNally - Dublin, offers a description of the fees and outlays to be expected in property transactions.

    ....and in Scotland...

  • Allingham & Co. - Edinburgh (Marchmont, Buckstone, Colinton), offer a detailed guide to house purchase and to house sale.
  • Georgesons - Thurso and Wick, offer good information on home buying in Scotland.
  • Murray Donald & Caithness - St Andrews, Fife, provide a guide to buying property in Scotland and also a set of guides to surveys, mortgages and insurance. There is a useful glossary of mortgage terms.
  • Robson McLean offer free "Fact Sheets" on buying and selling property in Scotland (take "Free Legal Information")
  • The Edinburgh Solicitors' Property Centre.
  • The Glasgow Solicitors' Property Centre, including free legal advice on property matters.

    Crime, Police and Prisons

    For Police and Prisons, see further down this section

  • Ciminal Justice System Online is a portal for the Criminal Justice System, designed for both members of the public and professionals involved with the system. The sections for the general public include sections related to being a witness, a defendant or a juror. There are sections for victim support, crime prevention and even a virtual tour of 14 courts.
  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides information on your rights and related issues.
  • Criminal Law Solicitors Association has a directory which enables you to search for a CLSA member solicitor by area (postcode), by name (of the solicitor or of the firm) or by the court. There is a news section and a good set of links in the general criminal area.
  • JMW Solicitors of Manchester and Altrincham have set up a specialised site for crime called criminal-solicitors.com. The site has information on Motoring Offences, Arrest, Aiding & Abetting, Assault, Keeping the Peace, Burglary, Taking vehicles without consent, Deception, Drugs, Criminal Damage and Serious Fraud and there is also a major section on Prison Law.
  • Victim Support helps people affected by crime and provides support and information to help them deal with their experience. It is a voluntary agency but receives funding from the Home Office and local government. There are 386 Schemes and branches of Victim Support in England, Wales and Northern Ireland affiliated to the National Association of Victim Support Schemes.
  • The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a Non-Departmental Public Body which administers the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Since its introduction in 1964, it has provided some tangible acknowledgement of societys sympathy for innocent victims of violent crime or those injured trying to apprehend criminals or prevent a crime. They receive over 76,000 applications for compensation each year and spend in excess of 200,000,000 per year in compensation payments. The site describes the scheme, provides the forms in pdf format and gives advice on how to apply for compensation.
  • Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP) has the role of determining appeals against decisions made by the The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) (as above) solely arising from claims for compensation for criminal injuries made on and after 1 April 1996 under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. You can search for decisions under Eligibility, Compensation and Procedure and then refine the search with keywords and date (decisions are in pdf format). You can also find information about hearings in any particular area and download the form.
  • Criminal Injuries Compensation under the guidance of Winston Solicitors, of Leeds, provide information on the compensation scheme and the process of making a claim.
  • CICA Criminal Injuries Compensation UK can assist with making a claim.
  • Fraud X is the Association of Liverpool Fraud Experts, set up by four Liverpool firms of Solicitors - Quinn Melville, Canter Levin & Berg, Mark Jones & Partners and the Pearson Fielding Partnership. These firms are founder members of the Legal Services Commission Serious Fraud Panel. As a result of a new ruling which came into force on 2nd April 2001, only firms on The Legal Services Commission Serious Fraud Panel are permitted to conduct legally aided defence work in serious and complex fraud. Fraud X intends to provide a nationwide service for those accused of serious fraud, representing individuals and/or assisting other firms who are not on the panel.

    Firms of Solicitors providing free information on their sites:

  • footballbanningorders.net is a new specialised site set up by CJH Solicitors of Derby. The site explains the legal framework of enforcement action against football related violence and disorder in England and Wales and describes a summary of the powers available to the police and the courts. Other parts of the site give details on police powers to prevent attendance at matches, when courts will make football banning orders, the effect of football banning orders, appeals and exemptions, funding for legal advice and representation, the background to the present legislation and new developments.
  • Field Seymour Parkes - Reading - provides advice on your rights under arrest
  • Fisher Jones Greenwood offers a calculator to work out whether you are likely to qualify for criminal legal aid; you fill in your financial details and the program advises you.
  • Tosswill & Co. - London, provides information on During the Investigation, At Court, Finding a lawyer, Legal Aid and Fees, and other topics.

    ....and in Scotland...

  • Cairns Brown, Scotland, offers information on arrest and police powers.
  • Graham Walker, of Glasgow, offers information on road traffic law in Scotland, and generally how to protect your licence
  • Scottish Prisons Service provides information on prisons in Scotland.

    See also the section on Legal Aid in these pages.

    Police Sites

  • The Police Services of the UK provides links to the police forces around the country and related organisations. (The official police site).
  • Police Stop Site provides links to all UK Police and Emergency Services links, and associated UK Government Links. There are separate sections for Scottish and Northern Ireland sources. There are also international links relating to crime, police and detection.
  • Police Law Site "brings the criminal laws of this country to you - police officer, solicitor, user and subject" with particular emphasis on police related issues. There are links to all the Police Forces in the UK and many other links on Criminal Law and Policing issues.

    Prisons Information

  • HM Prison Service provides information for the families of prisoners so as to "explain" the process of prison life. There is an extensive list of organisations associated with prisons and their families and the full text (in pdf format) of "Prisons Service Orders". There is also a list of all prisons with information on opening hours and how to get there, a section "about prison life" and prison statistics.
  • sentdown.co.uk is a very interesting and informative site on the subject of being sent to jail, written by Andy Evans who was "sent down" for 16 months after he was convicted of causing death by careless driving. The site includes information for prisoners on remand and bail conditions, how to prepare for the possibility of prison, the court process and solicitor choice, a brief overview of how family members are affected by imprisonment and what to expect on a visit, a brief overview of life inside, how the female prison system differs, what to expect after release, how Young Offenders Institutions differ from adult prisons, some of the differences that apply to Life Sentence prisoners and news from the UK Criminal Justice Weblog. There is also a set of directory listings of many organisations involved in support for people in prison and their families.

    Data Protection

  • The Data Protection Registrar provides guidance notes, summaries and descriptions of both the old legislation and the new. You can search the register of data users. There is also information on the Freedom of Information Bill.
  • Data protection sites are presented by student Rebecca Wong, with both "official" and "alternative" websites relating to data protection and privacy.
  • The e-Envoy provides information on e-commerce topics, proposed legislation, Information Age Government, progress on Government initiatives and a good set of links.
  • British Computer Society
  • National and International Data Protection bodies provided by Privacy Laws & Business
  • Hamiltons provides articles on Data Protection Issues.
  • Data Protection Act Made Easy is a site providing information on the act and also offering a "toolkit" to help firms comply for 19.95.

    Debt Collection and Enforcement of Judgments

    (For what to do if you are in debt go     here).

  • The Court Service now allows people to issue a claim via the internet for a fixed sum under £100,000. There is a fee of £27 minimum and the claimant fills in a number of screens online to set up the claim. There is quite a lot of information available online including links to other services such as JustAsk, ADR information and insolvency information. The service, called MCOL (Money Claim OnLine) also enables a claimant to enter judgment, file an acknowledgement of service or defence and apply for a warrant of execution, online.
  • Slee Blackwell, based in the South West of England, have set up a site called Do Yourself Justice which gives people free, easy to understand advice on a number of legal issues including the Small Claims Court, Divorce and Employment. The site contains video guides and podcasts as well as precedent letters and forms. Legal queries can be dealt with via e-mail or on the sites forum, providing a valuable resource for those involved in Court proceedings or law students wanting clear, concise information.
  • StepByStepLaw.com is an online service to assist someone to conduct their own action to recover money through the Courts of England and Wales. It is designed for claims below £5,000 where the winner cannot recover their legal costs from the other side so there is a particularly strong incentive to carry out the process as cheaply as possible. The fee for the process is £14.99 (with no commission) and multiple claims can also be handled. An initial Letter of Claim is provided free. The user answers questions online about the debtor, how much is owed and when the debt originated and a completed claim form is provided (in pdf format) with instructions on how to start proceedings at court, the court fee and where the documents should be sent. The procedure for entering judgment is explained and the legal forms provided. If the claim is defended, further steps needed to reach a small claims hearing are explained.
  • Hyde Mahon Bridges - London, enable you to input information on debts online and obtain a quotation.
  • Denison Till - York, provides a substantial article called Procedures for Collection of Debts (take the articles link).
  • Sheriffs Business Team handle the case and administration for the sheriffs, enabling defendants to pay their debts in a variety of ways.
  • compactlaw.co.uk gives advice on this topic (a commercial concern).
  • Yuill & Kyle, in Glasgow, provide information on debt collection in Scotland with continually updated news on debt recovery and credit control. You can also use their downloaded documents to send letters to debtors on your own headed notepaper, complete with interest due (which is otherwise very tedious to calculate).
  • Duncan Grehan of Dublin, provide information on debt collection in Ireland, including the process for foreign creditors.

    If you yourself are in debt... and Individual Voluntary Arrangements

    Sponsored link...
    logo of Debt Lifeboat You could write off 25% - 70% of your personal debts with an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) from Debt Lifeboat. An IVA could protect your mortgage and save your home from creditors. To find out if an IVA is right for you, please call our Licensed Insolvency Practitioner for a free consultation on 0800 917 3328.

  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides information on debts.
  • The Debt Advice Trust is a UK registered not for profit organisation which exists to enable people in serious debt to get advice on various debt solutions ranging from Bankruptcy to an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangements) and Management Plans. As a not for profit organisation, they can provide a source of expert, honest and impartial advice about getting out of debt. There is a great deal of useful information on the site as well as a phone number to ring for help. They have fully trained Counsellors available to assist people with debt problems.
  • Piggy Bankrupt, real name Mark Davis, ran his own financial services business but then experienced debt problems himself and eventually petitioned for bancruptcy. He felt that there was far too little impartial advice available and he decided to do what he could himself to improve the situation. This site is the result and it will help many people struggling with debt problems. As well as the plentiful information available on the site you can ask Mark a question and you can also read his journey into (and out of) bancruptcy in his blog Piggys Bankruptcy Blog.
  • Debt Clinic Helpline from FCL is a debt advice agency. They can help with Debt Management Plans, Individual Voluntary Arrangements, General Advice & Information, Bankruptcy Advice and Mortgage Advice. There is a useful links page with links to various bodies which can assist, including in Scotland. They are apparently recommended to the employees of companies such as Marks & Spencers, John Lewis and Boots and by national organisations such as Police Forces, Unison and National Debtline. They also work with over 200 Citizens Advice Bureaux. There is a related site called
  • AvoidingDebt.com provides self-help guides to managing debt problems as downloadable e-books. There is also a professional letter service enabling someone in debt to secure lower monthly payments and reduced debt. The site was created in 2003 by Peter English, who is a law graduate and company secretary. The site also provides a lot of free information in the form of news, updates, advice and expert comment on debt management.
  • Debt Questions which is a free information site providing impartial debt advice for individual and providing an Online Forum.
  • Debt Forum is a support board allowing people with debt problems to share their experiences with each other. Members help and offer mutual support and advice to others facing bankruptcy and similar debt related issues.
  • Varden Nuttall provide information on Individual Voluntary Arrangements and in particular What is an IVA? and also Frequently Asked Questions.

    Discrimination and Disability

  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides information on discrimination and disability issues.
  • Commission for Racial Equality is a publicly funded, non-governmental body set up under the Race Relations Act 1976 to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality. It works in both the public and private sectors to encourage fair treatment and to promote equal opportunities regardless of race, colour, nationality, or national or ethnic origin. It provides information and advice to people who think they have suffered racial discrimination or harassment, works with public bodies, businesses, and organisations from all sectors to promote good practice and runs campaigns to raise awareness of race issues.
  • Disability site from the Government, with with information on the legal situation, policy, programmes and links to other bodies.
  • Disability Rights Commission has a duty to ensure that the laws removing and preventing discrimination against disabled people are enforced. The site contains lots of good information about current campaigns and also the legal background of the legislation, the Codes of Practice and various sources of help and advice.
  • Discrimination Law Blog comes from the Discrimination Law Team at Brabners Chaffe Street. The blog forms part of their specialised web site Discrimination Law which itself provides a great deal of information on this general area of law. The blog says that it "provides news and updates on discrimination law, report recent cases and provide practical tips for both employers and employees".
  • rehabwindow lists providers of disability and rehabilitation related services and products. There is a good set of links to bodies working in this area.
  • Barton Hill Advice Services (bhas) is a voluntary organisation based in Bristol but its web site can be used by anyone, and it provides several very useful guides to claiming Disability Living Allowance on physical or mental health grounds. There is even a 2 minute test to help someone decide whether they are eligible.
  • Deaf Lawyers UK covers Deaf issues within the legal system. It aims to respond to access issues, publicise specialised information and raise awareness of issues Deaf people face within the legal system. The site includes a Deaf Blawg. This is updated frequently and includes contributions from a number of people. Prime topics appearing so far are immigration, citizenship and asylum, and special problems for deaf people in these contexts.
  • Solicitors for the Elderly is a national association of solicitors, barristers and legal executives who are concerned with improving the availability and delivery of legal services to older people. The site contains a list of member solicitors, arranged by town or area, and als? a very good set of links to other bodies concerned with elderly people and the law, benefits, health, illness, disability, social services, carers and so on.

    Education

  • Fisher Jones Greenwood of Colchester have an extensive section on education law. (Take "Advice Guides", then "Education Law" and then "Parents and Carers"). There are guides on Special Educational Needs, Exclusion from school, School Admissions, Bullying in schools, Disability Discrimination, and Child Protection in Schools.
  • Nicholas Hancox, Solicitors is a firm which specialises in the law relating to schools and colleges. They advise local education authorities and independent schools, church schools, faith schools, FE colleges, nursery schools, extended schools and special schools. There is a great deal of information on the site covering all these types of education and also admissions and exclusions, independent appeal panels, parental complaints, accidents at school and pupil misbehaviour.
  • Education Law Unit of Govan Law Centre has an extensive site covering educational issues. The unit, partly funded by Glasgow city Council, describes itself as "the national expert legal resource for anyone who advises either children with special educational needs or their parents. Working in partnership with the voluntary, statutory and independent sectors, we seek to increase the quality and availability of training, information and advice available to such advisers and to support and assist them in making the rights of children with special educational needs a reality." As well as the material on special educational needs, the site covers Scottish Educational news generally and developments in legal issues with frequent updates. There are two special sites run by Govan Law Centre:
    * Education Law Unit working to make pupils' rights and parents' rights in education a reality
    * Additional Support Needs with a particular focus on the rights of disabled pupils and pupils with additional support needs

  • SENLegal is a firm of solicitors in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, dealing specifically with Special Educational Needs. There is good background information on this topic.
  • The National Advice Centre for Special Educational Needs in Scotland covers the Educational System in Scotland generally and problems of Special Educational Needs (SEN) in particular, from the parents' and childrens' point of view.
    There are further sites on Education Law described in the section for lawyers, here.

    Employment

    Ashby Cohen Solicitors Ashby Cohen has a successful track record in representing employees at all levels in legal disputes relating to Harassment, Compromise agreements, Contracts of employment, Discrimination (age, disability, race, sex, sexual orientation), Equal pay, Flexible working, Grievance/disciplinary disputes, Maternity rights, Non competition agreements, Part-time working, Pension claims, Redundancy, References, TUPE, Unfair dismissal and Whistleblowing. See here for background legal information.

  • Tiger is a Government site designed to provide a user-friendly guide through UK employment law. It can be accessed by either the worker or the employer (the site says that the information provided is the same - just the presentation is different!). The main topics covered so far are minimum wage and maternity rights.
  • worksmart is a new site from the TUC providing a comprehensive guide to employment rights. The site is laid out as a series of fact sheets, each leading to a series of options for more detailed information. The site is free but there is also a section to encourage people to join a union and a "union finder" which lists unions by the industry or business sector.
  • The Citizens Advice Bureau provides extensive and detailed information on employment matters.
  • Coventry Law Centre has set up a detailed advice section on employment, welfare benefits, housing and immigration topics. The briefing sheets can be downloaded in pdf or Word formats. There is also a very extensive set of links on legal advice centres and resources in each of these areas.
  • Employment Tribunal Claims: tactics and precedents is a blog from barrister Naomi Cunningham to update and supplement her recently published book of the same name. The blog is organised with each posting cross-referenced to the number of the paragraph of the book that it supplements. The book (and the blog) is aimed at claimants in person, unqualified advisers, and inexperienced lawyers. The site also contains links to all the statutory discrimination questionnaires in particular, Disability, Equal Pay, Orientation, Race, Religion or Belief and Sex, which can otherwise be quite hard to track down. The site also has a new page 'getting advice' which gives general guidance on where to look for free or affordable employment advice and representation.
  • Armchair Advice provides information on job loss through redundancy, termination or dismissal. There is legal and financial advice and also emotional support and suggestions for changing direction (if necessary). As part of this, there is a section on Compromise Agreements which are legal documents that can be used in the case of dismissal or redundancy generally offering a payment in return for agreeing to certain conditions.
  • WorkingRights is a useful new site on employee rights for employees and employers. It covers an individual's rights at work, from discrimination through to what action someone can take when faced with losing their job. There are articles on enforcing your rights, industrial action, privacy issues, the minimum wage, training and qualifications, unemployment benefit and many other topics. It is a public interest website funded by PTS plc a property and content development company. The company has been behind several other information sites such as well, in particular, safecosmetics.co.uk, safealternativemedicine.co.uk and www.safemedicinecabinet.co.uk.

    Firms of Solicitors or barristers providing free information on their sites:

  • ABA LAW - Hove, East Sussex, offers a variety of free documents and newsletters.
  • AP Partnership - Peterborough, provide an online newsletter on this topic.
  • Ashby Cohen - London provide a database of information on unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal and redundancy, sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, racial discrimination and many other employment law topics (take the "Lawsearch" option).
  • Gordon Bancks & Co. - Worcestershire.
  • Blake Lapthorn - Fareham, London, Portsmouth, Southampton & Brussels, provide a newsletter.
  • Blandy & Blandy - Reading, offers an employment law newsletter.
  • Brethertons - Rugby and Banbury, provide useful free fact sheets on employment problems.
  • Collyer-Bristow - London, provides newsletters online.
  • Employ-claims is a site from the specialist Employment Law division of Oxford and Reading firm Pearce West.
  • Employment Tribunal Claims (etclaims.co.uk) is a blog from Naomi Cunningham which supports and updates the book Employment Tribunal Claims: tactics & precedents (2nd ed. LAG September 2007) by her and Michael Reed. (The Book can be purchased on-line from the Legal Action Group. You can also download the first chapter and the contents list.) The blog contains a continuing supply of up to date articles on these topics including a complete collection of the discrimination questionnaires.
  • Employment Law Solicitors is a site from Webster O'Brien of Bramhall, Stockport and Tyldesley, Greater Manchester. There is extensive information on employment law from both the employee and employer point of view. The site covers claims relating to Unfair Dismissal, Wrongful Dismissal, Constructive Dismissal, Breach of Contract, Race and Sex Discrimination.
  • Fisher Jones Greenwood - Colchester - offers a "calculator" to work out redundancy pay entitlement
  • Gordons Cranswick - Leeds, Bradford and Keighley
  • Got-the-boot.com is a site set up by Morris Legal (Solicitors) Ltd. The site provides free information on employment law relating to dismissal and Employment Tribunals. The user fills up a form about the situation and receives initial advice and a quotation for further work.
  • Hegarty & Co. - Peterborough, provides a free email alerting service called "employment law e-ssentials".
  • Keeble Hawson - Leeds - offers a large amount of information on Unfair Dismissal including an email newsletter to which you can subscribe
  • Levenes - London, Birmingham and Cardiff, provide answers to the most often asked questions and a form for viewers to fill in their queries.
  • Mason Bullock - Northampton, via their special site Advantage Employment Law, offer information on many employment law topics.
  • MSB - Wavertree and Allerton offer a specialised site theemploymentlawsolicitors.co.uk which provides extensive information.
  • Pattison Sim - Paisley, Scotland, provides a page of information.
  • Pattinson Brewer - London, Chatham, Bristol and York, offers a series of online "pocket guides" to maternity rights, the disability discrimination act, the rights of casual, temporary and fixed term employees, TUPE, protection from harrassment and labour law updates for trade unions.
  • Pearson Maddin - New Malden and Surbiton, provides advice on what to do if you lose your job.
  • Martin Phillips, Gidea Park, Essex, provides facts sheets about many aspects of employment law including the Working Time Regulations and Fairness at Work and the National Minimum Wage.
  • Robson McLean - Edinburgh - offers a number of articles on emplyment topics, including Parental Leave, the Minimum Wage, and Unfair Dismissal.
  • Sinclair Abson Smith - Stockport, offer various calculations and forms (free) on their site relating to redundancy and unfair dismissal.
  • Stafford Young Jones - London, provide a guide to Compromise Agreements (relating to Employment).
  • Thompsons - in many locations, provide information newsletters and articles (mostly in pdf format).
  • Withers offer employmentrights.co.uk, which relates to maternity and paternity rights and also adoption leave rights, with calculators which can be used online or downloaded to your own computer. Extensive notes are provided with the calculations to ensure that the right options are taken.
  • workplace-bullying.net is free resource for lawyers, HR professionals and victims of bullying set up by solicitor Justin Patten of Ware, Hertfordshire. There is a specific legal section which covers issues such as tactics for lawyers and when constructive dismissal can arise. It also acts as a source of support to victims of workplace bullying and provides guidance on how to deal with this.
  • Wright Hassall - Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, provides information on the site.

    Commercial Sites relating to Employment Law and generally offering free information on the site:

  • compactlaw.co.uk
  • Freelawyer
  • TCS Consultancy
  • British Employment Law
  • Employment Solicitors UK

    In Ireland...

  • O'Donnell McKenna - Donegal, offer a a summary of the legislation that has been introduced in recent years concerning employment protection.

    This page continues here or go back to Topics index

    Note to solicitors or other providers of free legal information for individuals:
    Please email me - delia@venables.co.uk

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