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Family Matters, including Divorce and Children, Prenuptual Agreements, Civil Partnerships, Collaborative Law, women's issues, gay issues, rights of elderly people and child abuse

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Betteridges specialise in family related law with particular emphasis on Divorce, Separation, Matrimonial, Property and Finance Disputes, Pension Issues, Children Disputes, Inheritance Claims & contested Probate matters, Family Wills, Cohabitation Disputes including same sex couple disputes. We also provide some preventative legal advice including Pre-Nuptial Agreements and Living Together Agreements. We are happy to offer a free half hour consultation!

Woolley & Co. Solicitors Woolley & Co, solicitors are family law and divorce specialists covering the whole of the UK. Contact us for advice on divorce and separation, financial settlements, child contact and residence as well as prenuptial agreements, separation agreements and divorce for British expats.
Book a free initial consultation and download articles from family-lawfirm or call 01789 267377.

See also another page on this site, Collaborative Law, which covers sites and organisations related to family law committed to resolving issues without going to court.

  • Citizens Advice Bureau provides extensive and detailed information on all these topics.
  • CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services) looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings. It works with children and their families, and then advises the courts on what it considers to be in the children's best interests. CAFCASS only works in the family courts. Examples of matters that may be taken to family courts are:
    * when parents who are separating or divorcing can't agree on arrangements for their children
    * an adoption application
    * when children are subject to an application for care or supervision proceedings by Social Services.
    The site provides answers to these types of questions for three groups of people - children, teenages, and adults. There is also a basic explanation of the law about children.
  • divorce.co.uk covers not only the legal and financial side of divorce but also includes sections on counselling and mediation. The site has been set up by solicitors' firm Mills & Reeve, together with Psychologist Dr Janet Reibstein and Psycotherapist Dr Jeannette Josse. There are also links to, and descriptions of, the major resources available to help people considering, or involved in, a divorce.
  • family-lawfirm is the web site of Stratford-upon-Avon firm Woolley & Co. The site provides over 100 pages of free information on divorce and related topics. There are case studies, questions and answers, leaflets and articles and a flowchart of divorce as well as links to other resources including a calculator to work out child maintenance on the child support agency site. There is a special section on divorce for British Expats. Most recently, they have added a new site divorcemyths.co.uk designed to try and dispel damaging misunderstandings about divorce and separation. There is a long list of myth categories with examples of statements about each - and an explanation about whether the myth is true or false. It is useful - and amusing as well. Users can post their own ‘fact or myth’ questions and get a response from one of the Woolley & Co lawyers as well as downloading or ordering a pocket sized book called "Exploring the myths about divorce and separation."
  • Wikivorce is an interesting site on divorce which uses Web 2.0 facilities to provide an interactive (and wiki-type) experience for those involved in, or considering, a divorce. As well as factual information, e.g. Divorce Guide and Divorce Calculator, there are blogs (several of the existing well known blogs are included), chat rooms and forums. In other words, it is a community based web site where other members of the community do most of the work! It seems to be very popular and already has 10,000 people registered, which for a relatively new, UK based site is pretty good going. There is also a bookstore and a "find a solicitor" section.
  • Family Lore Focus is written by John Bolch, a solicitor with more than twenty-five years' experience specialising in family law. John is a long-time member of Resolution, and a former member of the Law Society's Family Law Panel. John gave up practising in 2009 and is now working freelance as a writer of family law. The content of the site includes news, cases, legislation updates, articles and information about family law. Along with new content, the long-term aim of the site is to make sense of some of the best family law information available on the internet, by providing logical, context-sensitive links to that information.
  • Prenuptial Agreement UK is a new web site from solicitors Silverman Sherliker that tells the viewer everything they need to know about having a prenuptial agreement, including what benefits an agreement can bring, legal pitfalls to avoid, UK case law involving prenuptial agreements, the current UK legal position on prenuptial agreements and the likely cost of getting a suitable agreement drawn up. There is a facility on the site to ask for free initial advice.
  • Civil Partnerships, particularly for same-sex couples, is covered by solicitors firm Russell-Cooke. From December 2005, same-sex couples have been able to register their relationships under the Civil Partnership Act, providing the couple with range of rights and responsibilities akin to marriage.
  • QueerPod is a joint project between a number of gay lawyers working in different firms who are lesbian or gay and have specialist expertise in the law as it affects lesbian and gay relationships. They are all trained in collaborative law, the legal process designed to facilitate couples and other family members reaching agreement and resolving issues arising from their relationship or separation without having recourse to the Courts. Individual members come from Burton Woods, Campbell Hooper, Bross Bennett, Josiah-Lake, Hughes Fowler Carruthers, Griffith Smith, Russell-Cooke, Lynch & co., Alternative Family Law, Osbornes, Family Law in Partnership and Bedford Chambers.
  • The Official Solicitor provides legal representation for persons unable to act for themselves for some reason, e.g. children and people with some incapacity.
  • The Children's Legal Centre is an independent national charity concerned with law and policy affecting children and young people. There is a free and confidential legal advice and information service, covering all aspects of the law affecting children and young people, and a unit providing legal advice and representation to children and/or parents with concerns relating to schools or Local Education Authorities (LEAs). The centre also campaigns for children's rights in accordance with the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and also monitors the impact of armed conflict on civilian children. The Centre is based at Essex University.
    For further sites dealing with education, see the education section.
  • Gamble and Ghevaert LLP provide an impressive site on fertility law and parenting law in all its manifestations. Overall, the site includes legislation (including the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (HFEA)), case law, useful links and 30,000 words of detailed written guidance on the law broken down for different situations. It has been designed as a free resource on this complex area of law, providing reliable information accessible to everyone. As well as having unrivalled information on this topic, the site uses attractive colours and photographs. The site includes a blog of current news and comment.
  • Resolution (previously Solicitors Family Law Association) is an association of over 5,000 solicitors who agree to follow a Law Society recommended Code of Practice which essentially aims to deal with matters in a way designed to preserve peoples dignity and encourage them to reach agreement. The site provides a searchable directory of members and also an extensive set of fact sheets on family law topics.
  • Divorce Aid is a site run by an independent group of professionals who volunteer their time to help people with divorce problems. Advice is provided, by email, without any payment or promise of further work. There is also a great deal of free information, attractively and helpfully presented, on the site itself (and some attractive graphic designs to go with the sections). They promote mediation and counselling and also promote collaborative law, as a new, more dignified, approach to divorce.
  • Divorce-london.co.uk is a site from solicitors Cumberland Ellis - London, which provides extensive information on all aspects of divorce. Areas covered include complex and high value divorce and separation arrangements (usually by agreement but sometimes in court) such as pre-nuptial agreements, cohabitation agreements, civil partnerships, family businesses, property and trusts, issues for children including parental responsibility, residence and contact, and inheritance claims and international divorce.
  • Armchair Advice provides advice on relationship troubles and divorce. It includes family law expertise, information and resources for those experiencing relationship breakdown and emotional support through our discussion forum. They provide information on rebuilding confidence and families, access to Family Law solicitors and information on how to deal with common relationship problems.
  • Care Law is a site aimed at the children and young people themselves, if they are in care. It provides information on their rights and also the limitations of their rights, in a simple question and answer format. It is a project of the Solicitors Family Law Association. It does not provide advice directly from the site but it gives a comprehensive list of bodies which can advise or are relevant to the subject area.
  • abuselaw.co.uk is a site provided by Abney Garsden McDonald Solicitors based in Greater Manchester. The site aims to provide easy access to information for child and adult survivors of physical, sexual and psychological abuse on all aspects of this complex area of law. The site also aims to offer guidance on and understanding of the legal system of England and Wales for professionals working for survivors of abuse. By providing information on the legal rights available to the survivor of abuse in seeking compensation, an explanation of the civil and criminal court procedures and a guide to the Legal Aid system and Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, the site aims to offer a greater understanding of the workings of the Legal system.
  • Child abuse is the specialist legal area covered by Malcolm Johnson & Co, of Surbiton, Surrey. They provide over 300 pages of legal information on their site, made up of case reports and synopses that they have written as well as notes on relevant statutes, both historical and current, relating to child abuse. They are developing the statute and case law database as a real resource for students and practitioners working in this difficult area.
  • Abney Garsden McDonald - Cheadle and Poynton, Cheshire, provide extensive information about the legal aspects of child abuse and how to approach a possible legal action.
  • UK College of Family Mediators is the professional standards-setting watchdog and public information providing body for family mediation in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There is information on how family mediation works and information on finding a mediator.
  • Family Mediators Association offers trained mediators to help all couples facing separation or divorce to reach decisions about dealing with children, property and finance. Family mediation is a voluntary process by which couples in dispute, particularly those going through separation or divorce, are helped to deal with arrangements for their future.
  • Alternative Family Law - Southwark, London, a great deal of free information about family law including alternatives to litigation (including mediation and collaborative law), divorce, financial issues (including complext financial cases), international family law, family law issues affecting gay men and lesbians (including civil partnership and parenting) and issues about children and cohabitation. The site provides information in German as well as English.
  • Bridge McFarland, with several branches in Lincolnshire, offers mediationeast.co.uk which covers mediation in practice - in particular, how and why it works.
  • 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 also a very good set of links to other bodies concerned with elderly people and the law, benefits, health, illness, social services, carers and so on.
  • Families Need Fathers is a registered UK charity which provides information and support to parents, including unmarried parents, of either sex. FNF is chiefly concerned with the problems of maintaining a child's relationship with both parents during and after family breakdown. Thre is a Rough Guide To The Law on the site, covering legislation and advice on many topics related to families and divorce.
  • Getting your Get is a free online booklet, providing information for Jewish men and women in England, Wales and Scotland about divorce according to Jewish law. The booklet, written by Sharon Faith BA (Law) (Hons) and Deanna Levine MA LLB also contains articles, forms and information for their lawyers. The booklet is in pdf form and can be downloaded from the site.
  • Manches Family Law site is rather different from most sites offering information on divorce in that it concentrates on topics like tax, financial orders, pensions splitting, the Hague Convention relating to children's custody, forum shopping, pre-nuptuals, co-habitation, human rights and generally topics far removed from 95% of "normal" divorces. There is a lot of really good information on the site, including relevant statues. There is a dictionary of legal terms as well and a good set of links to other sites in divorce-related areas.
  • Hartnell Chanot & Partners - Exeter, Devon, provides extensive information on divorce, mediation, finance, childrens issues and all related topics. There are particular sections for just-dads, just-mums, just-kids and just-grandparents. This is a very useful site for people involved with a divorce.
  • Sharing Pensions is a very informative site site focused on the division of pension rights resulting from UK divorce. The website is an independent financial advisers (IFA) view, providing information for family lawyers, their clients, individuals involved in marriage breakdown and divorce, pension scheme managers and those with an interest in retirement planning. The site includes an extensive glossary explaining terms found in marriage breakdown and retirement planning and also offers a valuation service from IFA pension experts.
  • Rights of Women is a womens voluntary organisation committed to informing, educating and empowering women concerning their legal rights. Founded in 1975, they offer free confidential legal advice by phone. The site provides information on the organisation and also a series of information sheets (in pdf) on divorce, child contact orders, child residence orders, and parental responsibility. The site also features downloadable copies of research and policy papers and a set of links in this policy area.

    Here are some more firms of solicitors who provide useful information on their web sites:

  • Access Law - Southampton
  • Barcan Woodward - Bristol City Centre, North Bristol, South Bristol.
  • Gordon Bancks & Co. - Worcestershire
  • Simon Bennett - Marlow, Buckinghamshire, provides a large amount of detailed information on the site.
  • Berryman Shacklock - Nottingham, provide DivorceGuideUK.co.uk with extensive information on all aspects of divorce.
  • Blake Lapthorn - Fareham, London, Portsmouth, Southampton & Brussels, provide a FAQ section.
  • Brethertons - Rugby and Banbury, provide useful free fact sheets on different aspects of divorce including children, finances and mediation.
  • Crisp & Co. - Guildford & Esher, Surrey, provide extensive question and answer pages on divorce, children, living together, money issues and international topics
  • Fisher Jones Greenwood - Colchester, provides information on the site and also free initial advice by email
  • Thomas Flavell & Sons - Leicestershire, offers information on divorce and on mediation
  • Gordons Cranswick - Leeds, Bradford and Keighley provides Frequently Asked Questions on Matrimonial and Family Matters.
  • Grahame Stowe Bateson - Leeds, provides information on these topics and will provide free initial email advice.
  • David Hodson - Sydney and London, dual qualified family lawyer specialising in international family matters and with a considerable amount of information on his site on these topics.
  • Hyde Mahon Bridges - London, provide information on divorce online.
  • International Family Law Chambers - London, offer information on divorce in several countries, articles and papers on international divorce and family law by David Truex and an extensive set of links in this general area.
  • International Divorce Law Office (a USA firm) offers information about divorce in many different countries on the site and the firm offers legal services to people and lawyers around the world.
  • Josiah-Lake - London, have a special site www.justdivorce.co.uk which provides useful information on divorce topics.
  • Norrie Waite & Slater of Sheffield, Rotherham and Killamarsh, provide a great deal of information on family law and divorce, including grounds for divorce, arrangements for children, financial aspects of divorce, domestic abuse, the rights of unmarried fathers and other topics.
  • Pannone provide a Family Law Blog with frequent updates and comments on current cases and developments.
  • Pearson Maddin - New Malden and Surbiton, provides "Brief Guides".
  • Penny Raby - Pershore, Worcestershire, offers viewers the ability to download, free of charge, the Form E, which all applicants for financial disputes upon divorce must complete for Court, together with notes to help the person complete it. Then they can take up the offer of a fixed fee preliminary financial diagnosis of a person's position upon divorce for £250 plus VAT, if they wish.
  • Royds - London provide additional information on their specialist site, Divorce Lawyer
  • Rosleys - Nottingham, provide information on divorce and family law topics including international family law
  • Silverman Sherliker - London, provide detailed information on their divorce site divorceadvicedirect.co.uk
  • Sinclair Abson Smith - Stockport, offer a draft divorce petition (free) on their site.
  • Stafford Young Jones - London, provide a guide to divorce and a guide to finances on marriage breakdown.
  • David Swarbrick & Co - Brighouse, West Yorkshire, provides "law-bytes".
  • Sykes Anderson offers a free facility to enable a viewer to calculate Child Support and there is also a free package of documents for someone who wants to represent themselves in a divorce action.
  • Terry & Co. - Essex, provides information and free initial advice by email.
  • Tofield Swann & Smythe - Sheffield and Dronfield, provides information on divorce and family matters.
  • Tony Roe - Reading, provides extensive information on the site about many divorce, family, civil partnerships and financial topics.
  • Trethowans - Salisbury and Southampton
  • Ursula Bagnall, Divorce & Family Law Solicitor provides information on divorce, separation, mediation, cohabitation, childrens' disputes, financial and property issues, pre-marital agreements, pension sharing and inheritance issues.
  • Wannop & Fox - Chichester, provides information on issues of children and parental responsibility.
  • Wright Hassall - Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, provides information on the site
  • Kieron Wood (barrister) - Dublin - provides a substantial section on divorce and divorce law in Ireland.
  • Young & Pearce - Nottingham, provides a Family Law Guide.

    Commercial Sites relating to Divorce and Family Law:

  • compactlaw.co.uk
  • Durham Legal Services (Child Support Act)
  • Divorce-Online
  • DivorceUK.com (including Scotland)
  • Family Advice
  • Family Solicitors
  • Inside divorce
  • quickedivorce

    Foreign Countries - Law Firms in the EU and then other countries

    General information about legal systems in other countries

  • The European Judicial Network in civil and commercial matters is managed by the European Commission. The site describes the legal system in all the EU countries, in any of the languages. The material is aimed primarily at the citizen, with legal terms explained as they are used.

    France

  • frenchpropertylaw.co.uk is a new site launched by solicitors Russell-Cooke which aims to demystify the rules governing French property purchases. The site features guides to buying or renting property in France, the latest legal developments in French property law, frequently asked questions and a glossary of useful French property terms.

  • Agnès Crompton-Roberts Solicitor–Avocat is an English firm of solicitors, based in London, specialising in Anglo-French legal issues.

    Germany

  • Duncan Grehan & Partners - Dublin, provides a great deal of information in German about practical issues of Irish law including breach of contract, product liability, investment, residential property, company formation, employment law, insolvency and debt collection.

    Ireland - See also a page of Irish Solicitors

  • Duncan Grehan & Partners - Dublin, provide free information on many practical issues of Irish law including breach of contract, product liability, investment, residential property, company formation, employment law, insolvency and debt collection.
  • Tyrrell, Dublin, offers information on divorce, defamation and accidents and also provides a section on the meaning of legal terms.
  • Irish barrister Kieron Wood, covers Irish divorce law and a description of legal terms used in the Irish system.

    Italy

  • Cavaliere & Cavaliere - Rome, deals with British-Italian litigation and transactions. Francesco Cavaliere is admitted in both Italy (Avvocato) and England and Wales (Solicitor).
  • Claudio Del Giudice is a dual-qualified lawyer with a London practice but specialising in Italian legal work. The site contains articles and information on buying a property in Italy, avoiding the pitfalls, the new Italian Inheritance Tax, wills involving Italy and other Italian legal topics.
  • De Tullio is an Italian law firm providing independent advice in real estate law and particularly in buying a property in Itlay. There are quite a few free articles on the site (in English!) on Italian legal topics including inheritance law topics and relationships between foreign married couples resident in Itlay and also a "property buying guide". A first consultation is also free.
  • Studio Legale Paoletti is an International law firm based in Rome, providing a wide range of legal services to business and individuals in Italy and abroad. One of the lawyers in the firm is Charlotte Oliver who is a practising Solicitor of England and Wales.

    Portugal

  • Lita Gale - London, Lisbon, Madeira and Spain, is a UK firm specialising in Portuguese law with several lawyers speaking Portuguese, Spanish, French, Greek, Arabic and Africaans. Information on buying property in Portungal and a set of links to useful Portuguese sites.

    Romania

  • roLegal.com specialises in establishing Romanian companies, opening Romanian branches, obtaining business licenses and opening bank accounts. They also provide services relating to Romanian citizenship. They provide virtual offices in Bucharest.

  • Gradeanu & Partners is a full-service Romanian law firm with clients in Romania, Italy, UK and Israel. The range of services provided includes many commercial and business areas.

    Spain
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    A Spanish Lawyer will answer your questions free of charge. The site features a Property section maintained by Spanish Property Lawyers.
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  • Alberto Perez Cedillo is an English firm, based in London, but also has Spanish lawyers. They cover the full range of civil and commercial practice for business and private clients with links to the English and Spanish legal systems.
  • De Cotta McKenna y Santafe is a Spanish law firm (Madrid and Costa del Sol) with some of the lawyers who are also qualified in the UK.
  • Girasol Services - based in Hove, are English lawyers and Spanish Lawyers. Experts in Spanish property law, they specialise in providing a complete legal service during the Spanish property conveyance process. They also provide legal services and advice to clients who are experiencing legal difficulties with their existing Spanish property.
  • Homeanswers is a company set up in Spain by English lawyers to provide property maintenance and general property advice and support for home owners in Spain.
  • inmoley.com provides real estate legal services in Spain and is a general resource for property-related legal matters.
  • Legal Spain - Kensington, London, is a London based law firm offering independent legal advice on buying and selling property in Spain. The firm also deals with wills relating to Spanish property and renting contracts.
  • Lawbird Legal Services offers a great deal of information to English and Irish people with an interest in spanish Property and/or Immigration. All the lawyers are English-speaking Spanish solicitors. There are also two additional sites, Marbella Lawyers and NIE Number Direct.
  • MJ Carillo are Spanish Lawyers specialising in property transactions of all sorts. Their site contains a great deal of information (in English) on buying and selling property in Spain.
  • Ole Hansen & Partners - London, is a dual English and Spanish speaking firm.
  • Spain Company Formation, based in Madrid, provides legal information for business related to accounting, taxes, payroll and virtual office. They are focused on supporting startup businesses in Spain and helping small businesses succeed.
  • Strong Abogados is a bilingual Spanish Law firm with a website which is available in English as well as Spanish. There is information for individuals, as well as people wishing to do business in Spain.

    China

  • Lehman, Lee & Xu is a Chinese law firm with branches in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Chengdu. Their site includes a large amount of information on the Chinese legal system which they have set out as a series of FAQ's on many legal topics. There is also an extensive set of links to other legal resources in China and the Far East.

    India

  • Morgan Walker Solicitors for Indian Law. Morgan Walker is a London firm but, as principal Ashok Sancheti says "We have three offices in India. We are assisting many European companies which are investing in India or have run into difficulties while trading in India. Similarly many Indian settled here in UK have assets or properties in India on which they are looking for some assistance. We are under taking legal work throughout India. "

    Jamaica

  • Cook & Partners - Croydon and Jamaica, English solicitors and Jamaican attorneys who can help with any property-related legal problem in Jamaica. There is information on the site about property and wills relating to Jamaica.

    Lebanon

  • Mattar Law Firm is a major law firm in Lebanon. The site provides information on the legal system in Lebanon, significant cases, legal news and facts about the country as well as describing the legal services which the firm can offer.

  • Rasamny & Saadi Law Firm, based in Beirut, Lebanon provides legal services for individuals and organizations on the local, regional and international level.

    Russia

  • Jus Privatum is a full service international law firm, based in Moscow. The Latin phrase jus privatum (“private law”) highlights the main area of expertise, i.e. property and related personal law. There is quite a lot of information about Russian law and legal topics on the site.

    Thailand

  • Crawshaws Solicitors, on Koh Samui, Thailand offer their clients an international law service with English professional standards. Situated in the fast-developing Bophut area of Koh Samui our resident lawyers and consultants are qualified in England and Wales, Hong Kong, Australia and of course Thailand. Now, Crawshaws Solicitors are proud to announce their recent merge with Legal giants DFDL Mekong. There is basic informationon the site about legal topics related to Thailand.

    International Divorce

  • International Divorce Law Office offers information about divorce in many different countries on the site and the firm offers legal services to people and lawyers around the world.

    Harassment

  • A barrister, Neil Addison, provides information on Harassment Law, intended for anyone who is the victim of harassment or who has been wrongly accused of harassment. This would be a useful source of reference for anyone involved with a case of racial or sexual harassment, stalking, bullying at work or neighbours from hell. There is a special section on the Scottish situation with some interesting reports on Harassment produced by the Scottish Executive and Parliament. There is also a section on Northern Ireland in the Protection from Harassment Act section and information on American, Canadian, Australian and Eire anti-stalking legislation.

    Human Rights

  • Your Rights is a site from Human Rights and civil Liberties organisation Liberty on Human Rights topics. The site provides information from Liberty's legal team on the Protection of Property Rights, the Right Not to be Discriminated Against, the Right of Free Expression, the Right of Peaceful Protest, the Right to Know, the Right to Privacy, the Rights of Children and Young People, the Rights of Defendents, the Rights of Immigrants, the Rights of Parents, the Rights of People with Mental Disorder and the Rights of Prisoners, the Rights of Suspects, the Rights of the Bereaved, the Rights of Travellers, the Rights of Victims and Witnesses and the Rights of Workers. The site also covers ways in which the English legal system approaches these topics (civil action, judicial review, government, local government, courts, the media, police etc.) and information on the Human Rights Act itself. There is a comprehensive list of organizations and publications, a FAQ section and information on how to ask further questions on an individual basis (Liberty apparently already respond to around 5,000 individual questions a year). There is also a discussion forum.
  • Scottish Human Rights Trust is the educational arm of the Scottish Human Rights Centre, in Glasgow. The trust, started in 1979, believes that "you do not have rights until you know about them" and provides access to human rights materials for the general public. There is a substantial introduction to the Human Rights Act and links to other bodies concerning Human Rights.
  • Fisher Jones Greenwood - Colchester, provides information on the site relating to the different types of rights available under the Act, a set of FAQ's and also free initial advice by email.
  • Judicial Review is the topic covered by London-based solicitors Pierce Glynn who specialise in public law, discrimination law and human rights. They work with campaign groups and advice agencies, as well as individuals, particularly relating to judicial reviews. They have set up a resource on their site relating to judicial review including case studies on Post Office closures, access to healthcare, playground redevelopmentand the Hounslow Language Service. There are also two guides: one explaining when judicial review may be relevant, and the other providing an overview of judicial review procedure.
  • Learnedcounsel.com (the firm of Gabb & Co., Hereford, Abergavenny) offers information on Human Rights for the Citizen - where the legislation has come from and how it will work. There is also an article on European law generally and how it affects the legal system in this country.
  • Leigh, Day & Co. of London, provide a good introduction to the whole topic.
  • There is a section on my site on Human Rights, and particularly the Human Rights Act, and the cases relating to this Act, on the pages of legal resources for lawyers here. These sections are designed for lawyers but would be useful for an individual with some legal knowledge.

    Immigration, visas and work permits, for the UK, the USA, and (to a lesser extent) other countries

    Official bodies of various types

  • The UK Border Agency (part of the Home Office) is responsible for securing the United Kingdom borders and controlling migration. They manage border control enforcing immigration and customs regulations. They also consider applications for permission to enter or stay in the UK, citizenship and asylum. The site is an extensive source of information UK Immigration control, citizenship and asylum and provides information for people overseas as well as for people already here. There is a good set of links to other bodies involved in this area.
  • UK Visas is a government site designed to tell people wishing to come to the UK and, if so, how they can apply for one.
  • Citizens Advice Bureau (via its online site Advice Guide) provides information on immigration and on British Citizenship.
  • The Multikulti website (supported by lottery money) provides information in many languages in the following areas of welfare law: debt, employment, health, housing, immigration and welfare benefits. Languages currently supported are Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, Gujerati, Somali, Spanish and Turkish. The documents are in pdf format. There are sections on how to get legal advice if someone has recently arrived in the country and wants to work, marriage application from abroad, marriage in the UK, students, claiming benefits, dependent relatives, refugees, visitors visas and other topics.
  • Coventry Law Centre has set up a detailed advice section on immigration, welfare benefits, employment and housing. 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.
  • Immigration Advisory Service is a charity with over thirty years' experience and more than 250 staff members. It has branches located throughout the UK and participates in the Community Legal Service scheme. All advisers are professionals specialising in immigration and asylum. IAS is an independent non-governmental organisation and gives free and confidential legal advice and representation tailored to each client's needs. IAS deals with over 7,500 appeals and 20,000 telephone enquiries every year. The site provides addresses of its local offices.
  • The Electronic Immigration Network is a charity relating to immigration, refugee and nationality law and practice in the UK. They do not seem to provide information on the site for individuals but there is a comprehensive list of web sites related to immigration and human rights issues, both in this country and around the world, which would be useful for research.
  • The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) is an independent public body set up under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. It is responsible for ensuring that all immigration advisers fulfill the requirements of good practice. The site contains a facility to search for regulated organisations and advisers by area although this only includes advisers regulated by OISC - not solicitors or barristers. Parts of the site are available in many different languages.
  • Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) is a tribunal which hears appeals against decisions made by the Home Secretary (and his officials) in asylum and immigration matters. The main types of appeal heard are against decisions to:
  • Refuse a person political asylum in the UK
  • Refuse a person entry to, or leave to remain in, the UK for permanent settlement
  • Deport someone already in the UK
  • Refuse a person entry to the UK for a family visit.
    There is information on the site about the tribunal and how it works and its locations, and there are also court listings.

    Firms of Solicitors offering free legal information on their site relating to immigration

  • Aston Brooke is based in Harrow, Middelsex, and also has four branches in Pakistan. There is information on the site relating to business visas, family visas, work permits, student visas, carers and appeals procedures.
  • DavidsonMorris - London, provides a great deal of information about many types of visa for individuals and for businesses, the processes of applying for visas, appeals and compliance.
  • D J Webb & Co. - London, provides a series of information sheets on many aspects of immigration including an overview of UK residence and citizenship, an overview of visa and immigration, tourist and short term visas, business and study visas, work permits, residence for investors, retirement to the UK, gay immigration, family related visas and residence, training permits, political asylum and refugees.
  • Gherson are specialists in UK immigration and nationality law and their site covers a whole range of these topics with options for further information developing as the viewer investigates, rather than being all thrust at the viewer at the beginning. The site is in 9 languages as well, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Indian.
  • Global Visas works across the world and is a leading Immigration consultancy, specialising in visas and work permits for many countries, including the UK but covering also the USA, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, India, China and the Philippines. They offer services for private individuals and for corporate organisations and provide a great deal of free information on the site on detailed regulations on all these countries.
  • Havillands & Co - Romford, Essex, provide a specialised site allukvisas.co.uk which contains a large amount of useful information on different qualifications for immigration, work permits and vias and the processes involved.
  • H & S Immigration Services - Colchester, provide information on many types of visa and provide information (and free assessments) of a viewer's chances of getting that sort of visa.
  • immigrationlawyers.co.uk is a site from solicitors Simons Muirhead & Burton of London which provides extensive information on immigration topics.
  • PK Immigration Law - Edgware, Middlesex, provide information on many aspects of immigration including an explanation of the main UK immigration routes (from the Home office) of the points-based system consisting of 5 Tiers. Their initial assessment by telephone or email is free.
  • James & Co. - Bradford, provide information on many aspects of immigration, including work permits, family immigration, adoption, Islamic marriages, British Citizenship, becoming British and political asylum.
  • Optimus Law Group - London & Chicago provide a specialised site www.immigrationone.com with information on UK immigration.
  • Smith Stone Walters is a company providing assistance with UK permit applications, nationality law and United Kingdom work permits and UK visa applications. There is information on the site for individuals and for companies on the different types of work permits available and related regulation.
  • Status Solutions, founded by Shabana Shahab, tries to ensure that a solution is found to meet a person's UK Immigration requirements and lifestyle. Whether the person's aim is to like to live and work in the UK or simply become a member of one of the world’s most popular European Countries, the company will give straightforward, honest advice.
  • UK Visa Experts is a company providing assistance with all types of UK visas, and providing free information on their web site on these topics. You can fill in a form to send to them for a free online assessment. They offer a "No-visa No-Fee" guarantee.
  • Workpermit.com is a company providing assistance both to people wanting to come to this country, and people wishing to move to other countries.

    Immigration to the USA, Canada and Australia

  • Gudeon & McFadden is an American law firm based in London practising exclusively in U.S. immigration and nationality law. There is lots of information on the site and also links to US and other bodies involved in this topic. There is a useful "What's New" page on the site with the latest news.
  • Optimus Law Group - London & Chicago provide a specialised site www.immigrationone.com with information on USA immigration including an extended FAQ section and news of recent cases in the US.
  • US Immigration is a site set up by USA attorneys (Sesini Law firm) providing a practical guide to US immigration policies and procedures, including asylum and refugee topics. Other topics covered include family immigration, fianc visas, student visas, citizenship and naturalization, labor certifications, and deportation/removal defense.
  • United States Immigration is a site set up by David Turner, an American qualified (US Attorney) English national who has practiced United States Immigration Law for more than a decade. There is extensive information on the site, particularly on US Visas and on jobs in the US.
  • Canadavisa covers Immigration and Visa Advice provided by Canadian immigration lawyer, David Cohen and the law firm of Campbell Cohen. Aiming to speed up the Canadian immigration application process, Canadavisa features Canada immigration solutions and a free Job Search Tool.
  • Canreach was established in Canada in 1998 with the primary objective of providing quality Canadian Immigration consultancy services for migrants from all corners of the globe. There is information on the site about the different categories of immigrant and work permit.
  • Canada Work Permit maintains extensive information on working in Canada and obtaining a work permit. It has an up to date discussion forum with answers to hundreds of typical questions.
  • Christie David Immigration is a company providing information and assistance with immigration to Australia. They will provide a free assessment of your changes of obtaining a visa.
  • SkillClear is a company offering services related to immigration, work permits and consultancy generally. There is information about immigration to the UK, USA, Australia and Canada.
  • Daw Immigration Solutions Inc. are Immigration Advisors or Representatives for your immigration case. Owner Christopher Daw has been working with Immigrants for many years. His first experience was as a volunteer, helping refugees settle in Canada. The site contains information on immigration to Canada and also a news page that is updated several times a week to help people keep on top of changes in Immigration news and policy.
  • Migration Expert provides a wide range of services for many visa types and categories, with registered Migration Consultants and Lawyers providing immigration services for entry to Australia, Canada and the UK.

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

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