FAQs

• How does the project work?

LawWorks for Community Groups provides pro bono legal advice through a network of volunteer lawyers. We do this by acting as a broker between groups who need legal help and lawyers who are willing to provide the help for free.  Once we have advised a group that we have accepted their application, we approach law firms from our bank of volunteers who have the relevant expertise and who may be able to assist. When a firm confirms they are able to help, we put the group in touch with the firm and they liaise directly from that point.

• Who is eligible to apply to the LawWorks for Community Groups project?

Not for profit organisations, such as charities, social enterprises, community interest companies and voluntary and community organisations.

• What are the project’s criteria? How does the project decide whether to accept an application?

There are many factors we consider when deciding whether to accept an application. If we reject an application, we will inform the organisation and try to refer them to another organisation that may be able to help them. This is an overview of the factors we take into account when considering an application: 

The aims and benefits of the organisation:

- We do not accept applications from residents associations, animal welfare organisations, private leisure and sports clubs, professional or trade organisations, organisations whose primary object or purpose is the promotion of religion or international organisations whose primary focus is on benefiting communities overseas (unless they also benefit communities in the UK). This is stated on our application form.

- We look carefully at what the group has written about themselves, and check the information they have given on their website. If they do not have a website, we will use Google to check for any mention of the group on the internet to help us clarify what they do.

- We check who benefits from the groups’ activities and where they are located. Usually a group will provide examples of their activities, but if not we will try to find out exactly how they operate.

- We check the charity / company number provided on the Charity Commission / Companies House website and check that the group information matches the application.

The finances of the organisation:

- If we have been provided with the group’s accounts, we will go through these to check their income for the past year. This should be under £500,000. We check how much of the income is restricted and how much is unrestricted. We look at the group’s expenditure and what this is spent on. We check that the group does not have any money set aside for legal fees. If the group’s income is just above £500,000 we look at how much of this is restricted income and where it comes from / what it is spent on to decide whether to accept the application.

- If the group has sent us a business plan, we check whether financial predictions have been made and what these are. We check how the group is / expects to be funded. We check that the group is clear about their activities and set-up of their organisation.

We insist on seeing a group’s accounts / business plan / financial information before we will accept an application for assistance.

Start-up organisations

If a group is newly formed and the members are not completely sure about its structure, aims and organisation, we would refer them to their local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) for help with this before we would be able to accept their application. After the group has visited their CVS and received advice, they are welcome to come back to us and we will reconsider their application. 

The advice required

We check through the advice the group require and talk to them if we require any clarification. We ensure that the advice required falls within the areas of law we are able to help with – we do not cover family, criminal or immigration law. We also take care with contentious matters and look into them carefully before deciding whether the case if suitable to be sent to one of our member firms.

If all the above checks are satisfactory, we accept the case and inform the group we will attempt to find assistance for them.

• How can I apply to LawWorks for Community Groups?

We have an online application form which can be found here. We will need to see a copy of the group’s latest audited annual accounts, business plan or financial information. Details of where to send this information are on the application form. Please contact us if you are unsure about any of the questions or require a large print, coloured or differently formatted form.

• How long will my application take?

One of the Community Groups team will contact you initially to confirm whether we are able to assist, and to clarify any questions we might have. This should be within 3 days from when we receive your application. If we accept your application, it can take us up to about three weeks to locate a suitable lawyer with the time and expertise to assist your group. However, this time period varies from case to case and depends on the availability of our volunteer lawyers. If your case is very urgent or if you have a specific date by which you need advice, please contact us to discuss this and we will see whether we are able to assist, or refer you to another organisation who may be able to help.

• I have been accepted by a law firm. Does this mean I can now approach them for further advice once my current issue has been resolved?

As the lawyers who participate in the Community Groups project are working on a pro bono basis, completing this free work on top of their already heavy case load, and as each lawyer is a specialist in a different area of law, we insist that groups not do this. If a group requires further advice in the future, we ask them to contact us instead, and we will try and find another lawyer able to assist with their new legal issue.

• What do I do if there are any problems with my lawyer?

If you experience any problems with your pro bono advisor, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to help.

• We have an internal dispute within our organisation, can we obtain legal advice from LawWorks?

This will depend on the situation. When a lawyer takes a case from us, they will be working on behalf of the group as a whole. If one member of the group is in dispute with others in the group, then this will create a conflict of interest which would make it very difficult for a lawyer to advise the group. For example, this might happen if one trustee is in dispute with another. If you have a dispute like this, we may not be able to assist you, but would try to refer you to another organisation who may be able to help. 
However, if the dispute is between the group and an individual employee of the group, the lawyer would be able to take instructions from the group as an employer. If you are unsure, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We hope that this section is helpful, but if you are unsure, or if you have any questions not covered, please contact the LawWorks for Community Groups Team on lcg@lawworks.org.uk or 020 7092 3940.