Advice-Giving Organisations

BIHR is not able to provide human rights advice to individuals. Please find details of advice-giving organisations here.

I am a member of the public with a human rights query. What should I do?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) can help with a range of human rights and discrimination issues. If you have a query about equalities or discrimination, it is advisable to first check their range of publications. If you think your human rights have been violated or you have been discriminated against, we advise checking their "your rights" section.

If you cannot find the answer to your query, you can contact their helpline, which gives information and guidance on discrimination and human rights issues. The contact details for the EHRC helpline can be found here on their website. If you wish to submit an enquiry please use the web enquiry form.

Liberty also runs a free human rights advice service for members of the public. In the first instance you can go to their advice website which contains a range of information on human rights issues and the UK Human Rights Act.

If you are unable to find the answer to your query on their website, you can submit a written query form – the form is available from their website.

If you think your query is urgent, you can call their advice line on 0845 123 2307 during the following hours:

Monday and Thursday: 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Wednesday: 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm

Alternatively, if you have a human rights query you may wish to seek further legal advice (see below).

I belong to a voluntary sector organisation – where can I go for human rights advice?

Liberty runs a human rights advice service specifically for voluntary sector organisations. You can find out more about this service on their website (www.yourrights.org.uk/vas).

If you are unable to find the information you need on their website you can submit a query online or via post or fax (details on the website), or you can call their advice line on 0845 122 8621 during the following hours:

Monday: 14.30 to 16.30
Tuesday and Thursday: 10.00 to 12.00

BIHR provides human rights training and other supports to voluntary and community sector organisations, but we are unable to provide advice on specific cases. Read about our work in the voluntary and community sector.

Where can I go for legal advice?

Citizens Advice (www.citizensadvice.org.uk) provides free, independent and confidential legal advice, and can help you find a solicitor. To receive advice, contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau, which you can find in range of ways including:

  • via their website
  • call Directory Enquiries
  • contact your local authority’s information office at your nearest town hall
  • call their administrative office on 020 7833 2181 – no advice is available on this line but they will be able to give you details of your local CAB

Law Centres provide a free and independent professional legal service to people who live or work in their catchment areas. You can find details of your nearest law centre via the Law Centres Federation website (www.lawcentres.org.uk). You can contact the Law Centres Federation on:

Tel: 020 7387 8570
Email: info@lawcentres.org.uk

The Federation does not itself provide legal advice, but can provide details of your nearest law centre.

The Community Legal Service website (www.clsdirect.org.uk) has an online directory providing details of solicitors, advice agencies and information providers across England and Wales. You can also contact their helpline for assistance in finding a lawyer.

Helpline: 0845 345 4 345

The Law Society (http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/) has an online directory of law firms and solicitors. They do not themselves provide legal advice. You can contact them using the following details for help in finding a lawyer:

Enquiry line: 0870 606 6575
Email: info.services@lawsociety.org.uk

In addition to contacting any of the above organisations, if you need legal advice you can also directly call any other local advice centre or reputable lawyer.

Where else can I go for advice and/or information?

There is a wide range of organisations providing advice and information across the UK. It is not possible to list them all here, but the organisations listed below all run advice or help lines, covering a range of different issues. Please click on the links to be directed to their websites and find out more about the services they provide.

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