Disability Law Service

Fellow: Alexander Sherman

Did you know that over half the people living in poverty in the UK are either a disabled person or living with a disabled person? It is shocking, isn’t it? And given the high costs of legal advice and the curtailment of legal aid, these people who need the ability to access justice the most find this so difficult to achieve.

Continue Reading Disability Law Service

We are a small but growing charity that provides free legal advice to disabled people and their carers. Established in 1975, we provide advice covering employment, discrimination, welfare benefits, community care, housing and debt. Our advice service is why we are here and is at the heart of what we do. But it is not all that we do.

Our practical experience with our clients together with our legal expertise means that we are well placed to be involved in advocating for changes in laws and policies, whether at our own initiative or in support of other disability charities. Our policy work is supported in Parliament by our patron, Rt. Hon. Sir Ed Davey MP, and we have academic support from another patron, Professor Luke Clements, Cerebra Professor of Law and Social Justice at the School of Law, Leeds University.

We are also involved in the development of technology to improve access to justice, and have received a grant from the Legal Education Foundation to develop an online automated legal advice platform in the area of reasonable adjustments for disabled people under the 2010 Equality Act.

Last, but certainly not least, we are a friendly and sociable team and are excited to welcome a Justice First Fellow in January next year.

For further information, visit our website.