Providing a quality service free of charge

As we do not charge fees, Hackney Community Law Centre (HCLC) is funded from a variety of sources to pay for the running of a busy legal aid office and for staff salaries.

HCLC receives funding from Hackney Council and this is vital to cover the core costs of providing the services we offer to the community.

HCLC holds the Specialist Quality Mark from the Legal Services Commission, (LSC) which is only awarded to firms who pass strict quality control procedures and are assessed as offering a quality service to clients.

We have contracts from the LSC for Housing, Immigration and Asylum Work. We also hope to be able to secure welfare rights and debt work under an LSC contract from October 2010.

London Councils also provide funding to HCLC for advice work.

There are many quality controls at HCLC to ensure that the legal work and representation that we do is in the best interests of our clients and that the quality of advice given is of a high standard. The Supervising Solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, and HCLC is a member of the Law Centres Federation and abides by the rules of the Federation.

It is essential that if you have an appointment at the Law Centre that you bring in proof of your income. This can include a letter showing you receive income support/ jobseekers allowance or wage slips. It is important that the proof of income is within one month of the date of your appointment.