Civil Legal Advice (CLA)
You might be able to get free and confidential advice from Civil Legal Advice (CLA) as part of legal aid if you’re in England or Wales.
If you’re eligible, you can get help from CLA for problems including:
debt, if your home is at risk
housing, if you’re homeless or at risk of being evicted
domestic abuse
separating from an abusive partner, when you’re making arrangements for children or sorting out money and property
a child being taken into care
special education needs
discrimination
some child abduction cases
Check if you’re eligible
Check if you’re eligible for legal aid. You’ll get CLA’s contact details if they might be able to help with your problem.
Contact CLA and confirm you’re eligible by explaining your problem and providing proof of your finances.
If it sounds like you’re eligible, you’ll be put through to a legal adviser. They’ll decide what advice you can get.
If CLA cannot help you, they’ll suggest somewhere else you might be able to get advice.
You can ask CLA to call you back if you do not want to pay for the call. You can also:
use CLA’s free interpreting service if English is not your first language
book a British Sign Language interpreter if you’re deaf or hard of hearing
Proof you’ll need to provide
Have the following with you when you speak to CLA:
recent payslips (if you’re working)
bank statements
details of any savings and investments you have
details of any benefits you get
mortgage statements and a current valuation for any property you own
Complain about CLA
You can contact CLA if you’re unhappy about the service you’ve received from them.
Civil Legal Advice (CLA)
Telephone: 0345 345 4 345
Minicom: 0345 609 6677
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
Find out about call charges
You can also text ‘legalaid’ and your name to 80010 to ask CLA to call you back. This costs the same as a normal text message.
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