Central England Law Centre

Central England Law Centre comprises two ‘operating organisations’: Coventry Law Centre, whose activities focus on Coventry and Warwickshire, and Birmingham Community Law Centre, whose activities focus on Birmingham.

Coventry Law Centre was established in 1976 with the support of Coventry City Council to provide free legal advice and representation to people facing disadvantage in Coventry. In 2013 after the closure of Birmingham Law Centre, Coventry Law Centre opened Birmingham Community Law Centre in Sparkbrook. In 2015 we changed our name to Central England Law Centre Limited to encompass both organisations.

Our Purpose

To fight social exclusion in communities and to effect change in society by increasing rights awareness and using legal processes to fight poverty, inequality and discrimination. Central England Law Centre is the UK’s largest Law Centre. Our size enables us to provide legal expertise across nine different areas of social welfare law:

Discrimination

Employment

Family

Health & Community Care

Housing

Immigration and Asylum

Money and Debt

Public Law

Welfare Benefits

This means that we can offer services that can address all of the interconnected problems people face in their everyday lives. Our services are rooted in the communities we serve and our vision is of an organisation that uses its legal expertise to improve the lives of those who are vulnerable and socially excluded due to poverty, illness or disability.

Our services focus on those people in our community who are on the edge. They are often isolated and excluded from much of what is regarded as mainstream and they are ‘vulnerable’. By which we mean their lives are not stable and things can easily go wrong. This might be because they are living in poverty and any change in their circumstances can lead to a significant problem; it may be because they have a disability or a long term condition; it may be because their immigration status is unresolved. They may be a victim of domestic violence; or they may be homeless or threatened with homelessness.

We know that the law can offer these people protection and it is the framework for society that offers an opportunity for them to resolve their problems, to remove barriers that are holding them back - to move forward in life and to fulfil their potential.

We believe that the foundation for a strong community is equality and access to justice for all.

The Law Centre is a charity employing solicitors and advice workers. Our main funder for our work in Coventry is Coventry City Council. We also receive funding from a variety of Foundations and Trust Funds. We hold a legal aid contract with the Legal Aid Agency.

We offer specialist advice, representation and advocacy, and our aim is to use the law to seek change, so that those facing poverty or disadvantage, discrimination or exclusion are better able to take a full and active part in society.

We take on test cases that may well have an impact beyond the actual case fought. We produce leaflets, give talks and maintain a website to help individuals have awareness of their rights and to make informed decisions.

Last year we helped nearly 9000 people across our 2 offices and we opened 3700 cases. Over the years we have secured tens of millions of pounds for clients in arrears, additions to income and compensation. We also succeed in cases which cannot be given a monetary value, such as preventing evictions, advising about immigration and asylum matters and combating discrimination.

The Law Centre is a member of the national Law Centres Network. It is also a part of the network of advice centres in Coventry that includes a Coventry Independent Advice Services and Coventry Citizens Advice Bureau.

A board of trustees, who are the Directors of Central England Law Centre - a company limited by guarantee, governs the Law Centre. The Trustees meet monthly to monitor the Law Centre’s work and give general guidance on policy and direction. The Law Centre employs a Chief Executive, solicitors, caseworkers, admin and reception staff. Staff are organised into teams with a supervisor to lead and manage them. The Chief Executive is responsible to the Trustees for the running of the Law Centre and advises them on policy issues.

Each team covers one or two areas of law. Staff generally work in only one team but we recognise that many cases cross boundaries and supervisors therefore need to be able to work closely with other teams where their expertise is needed.

You can find out more about the Law Centre by looking at our websites and

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