Legal Services Websites
Recommended websites:
Site Name: Legal Services Commission
Domain: http://www.legalservices.gov.uk
Overall Rating: 5/5
Summary: This is a non-departmental public corporate body charged by the Ministry of Justice in Britain to help in promoting equal access to justice. It has about 1,650 staff that is stationed in 15 regional offices across England and Wales. These staff members in turn work with legal service providers in their respective areas (solicitors and NGOs) and give them the funds necessary to render free legal services. The commission is working under a newly-approved set of performance standards for its legal providers to make legal services rendered consistent and uniform across all types of cases.
Site Name: Community Legal Service Direct
Domain: http://www.clsdirect.org.uk
Overall Rating: 5/5
Summary: This site renders free legal advice through funds obtained from the Legal Service Commission. It also provides full caseworks start to finish and has made several means available for accessing its services such as through website, telephone services, digital TV and community service centres on a whole range of legal problems.
Site Name: Office of the Legal Services Ombudsman
Domain: http://www.olso.org
Overall Rating: 4/5
Summary: This is a governmental body created out of the Courts and Legal Services Act of 1990 and is tasked to oversee the entire legal profession in Great Britain. It is presently headed by a non-lawyer (maybe by intent) so as not to be unduly influenced by lawyers in deciding complaints against practicing members of the legal community such as solicitors, barristers, licensed conveyances, legal executives, patent agents and trademark attorneys. Its primary mandate is to protect clients and consumers of legal services and this body’s decision on lawyers’ cases is final (non-appealable). Filing of complaints have a proscribe period of 3 months only and in rare cases may award monetary compensation for distress or inconvenience caused by unsatisfactory rendition of free legal services.