Welcome to Tower Hamlets Law Centre

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About us

About us

The West Stepney Law Centre (providing free legal services since 1969) merged with the Stepney Green Law Centre (founded 1973) to form the Tower Hamlets Law Centre (THLC) in 1975.   THLC provides legal advice and representation, mainly to people who work and live in the borough.

The Law Centre receives funding from a variety of sources including the Legal Service Commission, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the City Parochial Foundation, the National Lottery, London Councils and the London Legal Support Trust. We currently have a Legal Service Commission Contract in 5 of the 6 areas of law we cover; having obtained Specialist Level Quality mark status in 2000.

We currently undertake work in the following areas: housing, immigration, welfare benefits, debt advice, employment & discrimination and education. We employ over 30 people.

In addition, we work with a large number of trainee lawyers from city firms of solicitors who staff our evening generalist advice - the 'LawWorks' sessions (see elsewhere on this site). The evening advice sessions are supervised by staff from the Law Centre,  who act as a resource for the volunteers. Most of the enquiries dealt with at the evening sessions concern housing, employment, debt, consumer law, minor criminal and motoring offences,  general litigation and personal injury.

We are based in the inner city borough of Tower Hamlets. A high proportion of the local community belong to a wide variety of minority ethnic groups; in particular Bangladeshis and Somalis. Problems of unemployment and poverty are widespread in the borough. 

How the Centre runs

Our advice work is undertaken by caseworkers, solicitors, community workers and barristers.  Staff work in one of seven groups (Housing, Immigration, Education, Welfare Rights, Debt, Employment and Administration). These advice providing groups provide regular specialist daytime appointments, one weekly general evening advice session, a monthly housing advice drop-in session as well as numerous outreach advice and campaigns work that takes place at other agencies around the borough and in other boroughs in the east of London.

The Law Centre is managed by a Management Committee, annually elected from individuals and representatives of organisations in Tower Hamlets. Day to day management is undertaken by a Senior Solicitor and the Centre Manager.

Resources

The Law Centre is assisted by: