An organisation called Community Legal Advice (CLA) provides
help and advice to the general public on common legal issues in
England and Wales.
CLA provides free initial advice from a qualified legal adviser
on benefits and tax credits, debt, education, housing and
employment. The CLA website also
offers information on other sources of legal advice.
For information call 0845 345 4 345 or visit the Community Legal Advice
website.
Consumer Support Network
Consumer advice agencies are working together as a group to
develop a network plan. The plan aims to ensure that the whole
community can access good quality consumer advice. The
Consumer Support Networks (<abbr>CSN</abbr>s) initiative
encourages consumer advice providers to join-up their services. The
aim of this is to provide consumers with advice that is reliable,
timely and quality assured.
Consumer advice needs to reflect today's complex and
fast-changing marketplace. It must take account of developments
such as the growth of Internet shopping and the often complicated
ways that goods and services are sold. We would expect advice
available to cover:
- What to look out for when buying goods and services.
- Consumers’ rights and obligations when buying goods and
services.
- How to obtain redress when things go wrong.
Consumer Support Networks and the Community Legal Service are
complementary initiatives.
Community Legal Advice Quality Mark
The quality mark shows that an organisation meets the quality
standards set by the Legal Services Commission.
Organisations with a quality mark will refer you to another
quality marked organisation if they cannot deal with all aspects of
your problem.
For more information on the quality mark visit the Community
Legal Advice website.
