The Mary Ward Legal Centre provides free, independent advice to people who live and work in London to help them access their legal rights and entitlements.

The main areas of law they can help with are debt, housing and welfare benefits.

Mary Ward Legal Centre also runs free advice clinics with the support of volunteer lawyers, for people with problems that fall outside of the traditional casework including small claims, tax, consumer and contract law. 

The services are targeted at people on low incomes, and most advice services have specific eligibility criteria. To find out if you are eligible please click on the area of law in which you need advice. If they are not able to help they will try to find alternative ways to help, or refer you to another agency.

The Mary Ward Legal Centre has a long history of providing free legal advice to Londoners. Over 100 years ago the Mary Ward Settlement was established to provide education and social services for the local community. The Settlement provided a free legal advice service for the local community, the ‘Poor Mans Lawyer’ service, a precursor to the post war legal aid scheme. Today, the Settlement operates the Mary Ward Legal Centre and also the Mary Ward Centre, providing adult education.

The Mary Ward Legal Centre promotes access to justice and quality legal advice services. They employ caseworkers and solicitors who provide advice and casework in complex debt, employment, housing and welfare benefits issues which often involve tribunal or court proceedings.