Debt counselling
Legal support services
If you are in trouble with the law, knowing what help you can receive is essential. These organisations and services can give you legal help and advice for any problem you may have.
National Citizens Advice Bureau Service
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) help solve various problems, including debt and consumer issues, benefits, housing, legal matters, employment, and immigration. Advisers can help fill out forms, write letters, negotiate with creditors and represent clients at court or tribunal.
There are two web sites currently provided by CAB:
Citizens Advice Bureau main website
The main Citizens Advice website, which provides a directory of local services, press releases and gives information on how it is trying to influence government policy and services.
Advice guide
Advice guide provides online advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau The site provides information in Welsh as well as English.
Brent citizens advice bureau
The local Citizens Advice Bureau in Brent is able to provide advice and information on legal issues in Arabic, Urdu, Marathi, Italian, Hindi, Hebrew, Gujerati, German and French. Brent CAB also provides wheelchair access for individuals who are disabled that may wish to use their services.
Brent CAB can be contacted 24 hours a day on the helpline number.
Address: 270-272 High Road, Willesden, London, NW10 2EY
Telephone (24 Hour Help Line): 0845 0 5055250
Fax: 020 8451 3714
Email: brent.cab@brentcab.co.uk
Other bureau's in north west london
If the Brent Citizens Advice Bureau is difficult for you to access, you are able to receive services from one of the following alternate branches:
Central Middlesex Hospital
Tuesday - 10:00am to 1:00pm Judith Leeman
Information Centre120
Acton Lane
London NW10 7NS
Kilburn Square Health Clinic
Monday - 9:30am to 12:00pm Kilburn Square Health Clinic
91 Kilburn Square
London
Wembley Centre for Health and Care
Tuesday - 10:00am to 12:30pm Wembley Centre For Health
118 - 128 Chaplin Road
Wembley HA0 4UZ
Craven Park Health Centre
Wednesday - 10:00am to 12:30pm
Thursday - 9:30am to 12:30pm Craven Park Health Centre
Shakespear Crescent
London NW10 8XW
Chalkhill Health Centre
Thursday - 10:00am to 12:30pm Chalkhill Health Centre
Chalkhill Road
Wembley
Other organisations providing legal support services
Just Ask
Just Ask has been set up as part of the Government drive to increase justice for ordinary people. It is a Community Legal Service (CLS) for England and Wales.
Information about this service can be found within the 'Just Ask!' web site.
The idea of CLS is for people to find help easily and feel confident in the quality of service they get from legal service providers.
The 'Just Ask!' web site provides a searchable directory of legal advice providers, which is searchable by postcode and also provides a searchable directory of web sites providing legal information and advice. 'Just Ask!' do not provide any legal information of their own, but they do provide information leaflets on behalf of the Legal Services Commission (LSC).
Information on Legal Aid provided by the LSC can also be found within here.
The web site is provided in English, Welsh, Urdu, Bengali, Chinese, Punjabi and Gujarati.
CompactLaw
CompactLaw was formed to provide concise and independent legal information to both consumers and business customers. This web site provides a combination of free and 'pay for' legal information and documents to help individuals and companies with their legal needs.
The Law Society
Solicitors-online.com (provided by the law society) is the best way to find a firm of solicitors or an individual solicitor on the Internet. This Law Society site is the only truly comprehensive and definitive online listing of private practice solicitors and law firms regulated by the Law Society of England and Wales.
The Law Centres Federation
Law centres provide free and independent professional legal advice to people who live or work within their catchment areas. Law centres are grant aided and generally prioritise areas of work based on demand within their community.
The Law Centres Federation (LCF) is a Company Limited by Guarantee and registered in England. It also houses a charitable trust The Law Centres Educational Trust (LCET). Established in 1978 the Federation acts as a co-ordinating body and the voice for Law Centres. It has a catchment area covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Law Centres Federation Web Site provides an online searchable database allowing you to find a Law Centre within your area. You are also able to subscribe to a mailing list to keep up to date on what is happening within the web site.
Public Law Project
The Public Law Project (PLP) is an independent, national legal charity, which aims to improve access to public law remedies for those whose access is restricted by poverty, discrimination or other similar barriers. PLP's three adopted key objectives are:
- increasing the accountability of public decision-makers
- enhancing the quality of public decision-making
- improving access to justice.
The Public Law Project provides casework, research on government policy, education and training as well as a number of legal publications designed to help individuals who may be in a disadvantaged position.
Other debt counselling services
National Debt Line
Freephone helpline for debt advice 0808 808 4000 (Monday - Friday, 9am to 9pm. Saturday 9am to 1pm).