Islington Law Centre

Legal support for people identified as potential victims of trafficking or modern slavery.

Modern Slavery legal aid covers people identified or being assessed as potential victims of trafficking or modern slavery, including referral through the National Referral Mechanism, related immigration matters, and damages claims arising from their exploitation. The contract was significantly expanded after the Modern Slavery Act 2015, with its own dedicated allocation. Specialist providers handle most cases.

Help with priority debts that put your home or essentials at risk.

Debt legal aid is restricted to priority debts where someone is at immediate risk of losing their home, essential utilities, or significant assets. It covers mortgage and rent arrears leading to possession proceedings, bailiff action on essential household goods, and bankruptcy proceedings against the family home. Routine consumer debt and credit-card arrears are not covered by legal aid; free advice for those is available through Citizens Advice and StepChange.

Possession proceedings, unlawful eviction, serious disrepair, and homelessness reviews.

Housing legal aid covers urgent threats to a person's home, including mortgage and rent possession proceedings, unlawful eviction, serious disrepair posing a health risk, and reviews of homelessness decisions where the local authority has refused to house someone. Defence against anti-social behaviour proceedings and disrepair counter-claims are also in scope. Funding is means and merits tested.

Asylum claims and a limited set of immigration matters where legal aid remains available.

Immigration and asylum legal aid is largely restricted to asylum claims, immigration detention bail applications, trafficking and modern slavery cases, and a narrow set of family reunion matters. Most other immigration work (visa applications, settlement, partner and family routes) is not covered by legal aid since the 2013 reforms. Asylum work remains a substantial area of legal aid; immigration detention work is non-means-tested.

Judicial review challenges against decisions made by public bodies.

Public Law legal aid covers judicial review, where someone seeks to overturn a decision by a public body (central or local government, the NHS, regulators) on the grounds that it was unlawful, irrational, or made through an unfair process. Cases often involve immigration, social care, housing allocation, and human rights matters. Funding is means and merits tested; the merits test is strict given the specialist and often expensive nature of the work.

Free early advice in county court when you face a possession claim, available before and on the day of your hearing.

The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS) provides free legal advice to anyone facing possession proceedings in county court, regardless of income, at any stage from receiving a notice up to and including the day of the hearing. HLPAS solicitors attend county court on possession days and can be approached without an appointment. The scheme covers both early legal advice to prevent a case escalating and on-the-day representation at court.

Appeals against benefits decisions at the Upper Tribunal level.

Welfare Benefits legal aid is now restricted to appeals at the Upper Tribunal level, where there is an arguable error of law in a first-tier benefits decision. It covers appeals about Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, and other benefits. Earlier-stage benefits advice was removed from legal aid in 2013 and is typically handled today by Citizens Advice and specialist welfare rights services.