Youth Justice Legal Centre

What Youth Justice Legal Centre does

Youth Justice Legal Centre (YJLC) is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC #14939801) founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, operating as a centre of excellence and innovation in youth justice law across England and Wales. Its core product is a suite of legal information, advice, and training services built around four pillars: a national Advice Line staffed by specialist youth justice lawyers; a library of 25+ Legal Guides endorsed by the Law Society covering bail and remand, out-of-court resolutions, child criminal exploitation, and related topics; a structured training portfolio spanning webinars, workshops, masterclasses, in-person training days, team training, and an annual Summit (YJLC Summit 2026 at King's College London); and ongoing Legal Updates and Video Content for both young people and professionals. The Membership Programme distributes these resources through tiered individual (£100-£150/year) and organisational (£150-£450/year by size) subscriptions, supplemented by fee-paying training events priced at member and non-member rates.

YJLC serves four primary customer segments: local authority Youth Justice Services (68 listed as members across England and Wales), solicitors and barristers who represent children, frontline professionals in social care and safeguarding, and children/young people/families navigating the criminal justice system. The Advice Line is operationally extended through pro bono capacity provided by five major international law firms (Weil Gotshal, Akin Gump, Eversheds Sutherland, King & Spalding, and Ropes & Gray). The organisation is governed by co-Directors Laura Cooper and Katya Moran, supported by a 5-person core team and a 14-person advisory board of external sector experts. Distribution is primarily digital via the yjlc.uk website, Mailchimp newsletter, and LinkedIn, complemented by in-person events.

The revenue model rests on two streams: recurring membership subscriptions and fee-based training and events (including the annual Summit). Strategic partnerships with the Youth Endowment Fund and Centre for Justice Innovation extend YJLC's reach into systemic policy work, exemplified by the joint Diversion Practice Guidance and adoption of the YEF ORPIC tool. As a CIC, YJLC is not venture-backed; no funding rounds, acquisitions, or external ownership stakes are disclosed. The organisation does not describe itself as a technology company and operates a conventional website, email, and event-ticketing stack rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Youth Justice Legal Centre

Legal name

Youth Justice Legal Centre CIC

Website

https://yjlc.uk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Justice Legal Centre (YJLC) is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company providing specialist legal advice, training, and resources for professionals working with children in the criminal justice system across England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership subscriptions for individuals, organisations, youth justice services, and frontline professionals, providing access to legal guides, advice line, webinars, discounted training, and summit tickets.
2. Training and events: Fee-paying training courses including online workshops, masterclasses, webinars, in-person lawyer training days, team training for organisations, and annual summit tickets. Training is priced at member and non-member rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YJLC is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that delivers expert legal advice, training, and resources to professionals working with children in contact with the criminal legal system in England and Wales. It operates a national Advice Line staffed by specialist youth justice lawyers, publishes Law Society-endorsed legal guides, and runs CPD-accredited training including online courses, in-person team training, and an annual Summit.

Product overview

Youth Justice Legal Centre (YJLC) is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company offering a suite of legal information, advice, and training services for professionals working with children in the criminal legal system in England & Wales. The core offerings include a national Advice Line staffed by specialist lawyers, freely accessible Legal Guides endorsed by the Law Society, Legal Updates on case law and legislation, Video Content for both young people and professionals, an A-Z Legal Terms glossary, and a structured Membership Programme providing access to all resources plus discounted training. YJLC also delivers training through online courses (webinars, workshops, masterclasses), in-person team training, and an annual YJLC Summit conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advice Line A national advice line operated by specialist youth justice lawyers providing expert legal advice and case support to lawyers, youth justice services, children, families, and other professionals working with children in contact with the criminal legal system. Priority access for YJLC members.
• Legal Guides Comprehensive legal guides endorsed by the Law Society covering key areas of youth justice law and practice, including bail and remand, out of court resolutions, and child criminal exploitation. Available to members.
• Training and Events CPD-accredited training programmes including online webinars, workshops, masterclasses, in-person team training, and the annual YJLC Summit for youth justice professionals. Priced at member and non-member rates.
• Legal Updates Regular publications covering case law, legislation, research, and policy developments impacting children in the criminal legal system.
• Membership Programme Annual membership providing access to legal guides, webinars, advice line, discounted training, and professional visibility through the member directory for solicitors, barristers, youth justice services, and frontline professionals.
• YJLC Summit Annual one-day conference bringing together practitioners and professionals to examine youth justice topics, featuring expert speakers and plenary/breakout sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 43% of all youth justice outcomes nationally are diversionary outcomes with YJS involvement (2025 data)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Weil Gotshal & Manges (London) LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeil Gotshal & Manges is one of the law firms assisting YJLC with responding to Advice Line queries in a pro bono capacity. They partner with YJLC to help provide free specialist legal advice to children, families, and professionals on youth justice matters. Each firm acts as an independent data controller for privacy purposes.
• Akin Gump LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAkin Gump LLP and its affiliates assist YJLC with responding to Advice Line queries in a pro bono capacity, supporting the delivery of free specialist youth justice legal advice.
• Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEversheds Sutherland assists YJLC with Advice Line queries in a pro bono capacity, contributing to the free legal advice service for youth justice practitioners and children.
• King & Spalding International LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing & Spalding International LLP partners with YJLC to provide pro bono assistance with Advice Line queries, supporting the not-for-profit's mission to improve outcomes for children in the criminal legal system.
• Ropes & Gray International LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRopes & Gray International LLP assists YJLC with responding to Advice Line queries in a pro bono capacity, helping extend the reach of specialist youth justice legal advice across England and Wales.
• Youth Endowment Fund (YEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Youth Endowment Fund co-authored Diversion Practice Guidance with the Centre for Justice Innovation and funds the ORPIC tool (Out of Court Resolution Practice Insight Creator) referenced in YJLC's legal updates. YEF is a key sector partner in youth justice diversion policy.
• Centre for Justice InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Centre for Justice Innovation co-authored the YEF Diversion Practice Guidance with the Youth Endowment Fund, and is listed in YJLC's members' directory as a partner organisation in the youth justice sector.
• King's College LondonminorOthersYJLC Summit 2026 is hosted at King's College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS. King's College provides the venue and academic partnership for the annual summit.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Law Centres Network: UK federation of not-for-profit law centres providing specialist legal advice across social welfare, housing, immigration, and discrimination. OTHERS — sits in the same specialist not-for-profit legal ecosystem and shares audiences with YJLC's advice and training work, but does not focus on youth justice.
• Advocate (formerly Bar Pro Bono Unit): UK charity matching barristers willing to act pro bono with those who need legal help. OTHERS — analogous pro-bono broker model and overlapping relationships with commercial law firms providing pro bono capacity to YJLC's Advice Line.
• Legal Education Foundation: UK grant-making foundation funding research, training, and innovation in legal education and access to justice. OTHERS — a potential funder/strategic partner for YJLC rather than a competitor, with shared interest in CPD and practitioner upskilling.
• Nuffield Family Justice Observatory: Research and evidence body focused on the family justice system in England and Wales. OTHERS — adjacent children's-justice research function that occasionally intersects with YJLC's policy and guidance work but operates in family rather than criminal jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• JUSTICE: UK law reform and human rights charity working across the justice system on rule-of-law issues. Broad incumbent — adjacent mission (legal reform and access to justice) with some practitioner overlap but a much wider remit than youth-specific work.
• Howard League for Penal Reform: One of the UK's oldest penal reform charities, with significant work on children in custody and the wider criminal justice system. Broad incumbent — operates across the whole penal system rather than solely youth justice, but addresses overlapping audiences and policy territory.

Direct peers

• Coram Children's Legal Centre: Part of the Coram group, providing specialist legal advice, representation, and resources on children's rights including immigration, family, and youth-justice matters. Direct peer — comparable specialist legal-services-plus-resources model for children.
• Centre for Justice Innovation: UK charity that develops, tests, and spreads practical innovations in justice, including youth diversion and out-of-court resolution. Direct peer — co-author with YEF of the Diversion Practice Guidance that YJLC promotes, operating in the same youth-justice reform ecosystem.
• Just for Kids Law: UK charity providing specialist legal representation, advocacy, and policy work for children and young people in the criminal justice system. Direct peer — overlapping mission, overlapping practitioner audience (several YJLC staff previously worked there), and complementary but competing approach to youth justice legal support.
• Youth Endowment Fund: Funded by the Home Office to prevent children becoming involved in violence. Direct peer — major sector partner and co-author of diversion guidance referenced by YJLC, with overlapping practitioner audience across YJSs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-justice-legal-centre
• Xx.com/YJLCUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/YJLCUK

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Youth Justice Legal Centre