Welcome to the Lay Advocacy Project

The Lay Advocacy Project Legal and Welfare Services provides accessible, holistic support to individuals and families experiencing legal issues, welfare difficulties, or personal crises. We combine paralegal-level legal assistance with lay advocacy and practical guidance, addressing not only legal concerns but also matters of well-being, social care, housing, family breakdown, disability, and safeguarding.

Our core aim is to assist those who are unable to access or afford traditional legal services, particularly litigants in person, disabled individuals, single parents, and other vulnerable or marginalised families. We support people navigating complex systems, including the family courts, child protection processes, benefit appeals, housing matters, and mental health or community care disputes.

Whether it’s preparing court documents, offering court support as McKenzie Friends, or helping individuals understand their rights and responsibilities, we work on a non-profit basis We are not free and there is no funding, we are offering time, knowledge, and compassion to those in need. Our work is grounded in the belief that access to justice and support should not depend on wealth, and we remain committed to helping as many people as we can with the resources available. All support is subject to availability and discretion, and we are not a firm of solicitors.