Free Legal Answers is a website managed by access to justice charity LawWorks which enables access to pro bono legal advice for individuals on low incomes in England and Wales.  Individuals who cannot afford to pay for legal advice and are not eligible for legal aid can use the platform to ask a legal question and receive initial pro bono legal advice from a volunteer solicitor.  The website focuses on early/initial legal advice on family, housing, employment and consumer law issues.

LawWorks is calling for solicitors in England & Wales to volunteer on the website to help ensure that as many questions as possible are answered.  The website receives a high number of questions each month particularly for family and employment law.

Journey of an individual wanting to ask a question on the platform

Individuals must first register, agree to the terms of use and complete the eligibility check before being able to ask a legal question.  Once registered, an area of law (consumer, employment, housing and family) can be selected and the legal question or problem described by entering text in a web-form. Documents and photographs can also be uploaded.

Individuals are informed prior to use that unfortunately an answer to a legal problem cannot be guaranteed. They will, however, receive an email if their question is not responded to within a minimum period of time and they will be provided with signposting information.

Solicitors volunteering on the website

To be eligible to volunteer on Free Legal Answers a solicitor must:

• Be 2 years PQE
• Have a current practicing certificate
• Apply the pro bono protocol standards

However, so long as the registered (and verified) solicitor meets these requirements, others can take part in researching and drafting an answer to a legal question/problem – e.g. supervised law students, paralegals and trainees. The key issue is that the information and advice then provided via the website is approved and submitted by the registered solicitor.

Solicitors registered with Free Legal Answers (once approved by LawWorks) are able to log-on and see the questions and legal issues described. Questions are searchable by area of law and by date. Participating solicitors can request daily or weekly notification (by email) to inform them when questions have been asked (the notification choice can be changed at any time).

A solicitor can contact an individual (via the website) to request further information about the legal issue or problem before providing an answer. This may, for example, be pertinent to completing a conflict check.

When an answer or advice is provided, the individual will receive an email inviting them to log-on to the website to see the response.

Key benefits and features of the website

• Time commitment

Solicitors can answer as many or as few questions as they wish and can ‘unsubscribe’ at any time.

• Insurance

All advice given via the Free Legal Answers website is covered by LawWorks’ professional indemnity insurance.

• Anonymity

Participating solicitors can take part anonymously if they wish (e.g., their name and contact details will not be provided to individuals).

• Accessibility

The website can be accessed at any time from any location, enabling pro bono advice to be provided when most convenient for the solicitor.

• Support

The website is supported by an administrator, who can be contacted with any queries, concerns or technical questions.

• Resources

Information and links to resources which may be helpful for participating solicitors are available on the website. Eg: an introductory guide to eligibility for

legal aid.

• Recording pro bono hours

Participating solicitors can log their pro bono hours directly on the platform.

LawWorks can also provide reports on time and activity, if helpful.

Further information about Free Legal Answers can be found here.  To register to volunteer on the website, please visit Free Legal Answers UK and select the ‘Volunteer Lawyer Registration’ tab at the top of the page.