Dealings with community legal advice?

sherbie28 · 26 March 2011 at 6:07PM

Has anyone had any dealing with community legal advice? I contacted them regarding a matter and they took all the details. I wasn't sure if I wanted to take action, they sent me letters which it said I needed to reply to within 5 working days if I wanted them to work on my behalf. I have found another course of action now. What happens to all the details that I supplied and if in the future I do need legal aid about this matter will I not be entitled to it because I didn't take it up now? The lady on the phone mentioned that they could only talk to me once and I wouldn't be able to call again after that first time about this matter if I didn't send the letters back. I'm just a bit confused as when I rang I was just trying to find out what my rights were. Thanks

Hannah_10 · 26 March 2011 at 8:40PM

They can only advise you if they are funded to. They are a business. They get that funding from Legal Aid. If you did not sign and return the LA forms then you never claimed LA so you could claim it another time for help with the same matter with a different representative or you could re-open the matter with CLA by requesting the forms again. If you just want general advice and do not want to be represented in any way then National Debtline should be able to help. As ND are a charity they do not require LA or any other per-case funding, they are free at the point of use. If you do want to be represented, or to just get more advice from them then CLA are a decent company who work in your interests (unlike other companies not on Martins who to call list, who work in thier own interests, no matter what they say in their ads and online).