Derbyshire Law Centre

Fellow: Gary Steel

We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee and are run as a not-for-profit agency. Our purpose is to provide access to justice for disadvantaged communities through the provision of specialist, accessible free and low cost legal advice and representation to individuals and groups in Derbyshire. The Law Centre specialises in Housing, Debt, Employment, Immigration and Discrimination law. We do not represent landlords, employers or creditors. We are the only Legal Aid Contract holders in Derbyshire for Housing and Debt, and Discrimination. We also have a number of funded projects at any one time, covering such areas as homeless prevention, employment rights, women and families with precarious immigration status, rights of EU citizens, for example. Our main office is in Chesterfield, but we offer appointments in several locations around the county. Our communities can be isolated and rural as well as ex-mining villages and industrial towns. Parts of Derbyshire are recorded as being of high economic deprivation.

We seek to work collaboratively with partners, rather than in competition and concentrate on those areas of work and communities where social exclusion is likely and access to justice difficult to obtain. We currently employ 28 members of staff, made up of 4 solicitors, a CILEX member, experienced caseworkers, paralegals, co-ordinators, admin support and a volunteer telephone assessment team. We operate a flat management structure, where team work, enthusiasm and consensus are critical to ensure our success. The Law Centre is overseen by a Management Committee, elected by the membership from the community, partner organisations and local authority funders.

For further information, visit our website.