Providing a quality service at no charge

As we do not charge fees, Barnet Law Service has to find funding elsewhere to pay staff salaries and the costs of running an office.

Many clients who are grateful for the free service they have received make donations when we have won an award for them, and we are very grateful indeed for these donations. As a charity, we are registered for Gift Aid and can reclaim tax paid by any taxpayer who donates money to us, whether they are clients or not.

BLS has been fortunate to have received funding from Barnet Council since we were funded in 1999 and this is vital to cover the core costs of providing the service.

BLS holds the Specialist Quality Mark from the Legal Services Commission, which is only awarded to firms who pass strict quality control procedures and are assessed as offering a quality service to clients, and we have a contract from the LSC for Immigration & Asylum cases and, from October 2010, for Employment Law.

London Councils has provided funding to BLS’ Welfare Benefits Tribunal Representation, Employment Tribunal Representation and Increased Access to Social Welfare Law projects since 2008 ( see www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/grants).

Grants from the City Bridge Trust and Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales fund the work of the Housing Law department, while a grant from the City Parochial Foundation (now Trust for London) funds a part-time Employment Law solicitor, and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission provides a grant towards some of the costs of providing casework in employment discrimination cases.

There are many quality controls at BLS to ensure that work we do is in the best interests of our clients and that the quality of advice given is of a high standard. The Supervising Solicitor is regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, and BLS is a member of the Law Centres Federation and abides by the rules of the Federation.