APPEAL
APPEAL (Centre for Criminal Appeals) is a UK charity and SRA-regulated law practice that provides free legal representation to wrongfully convicted individuals and campaigns for systemic reform of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. Founded in 2011, it serves prisoners and their families through specialist casework, survivor advocacy, and policy research, funded by grants, donations, and pro bono law firm partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What APPEAL does
APPEAL (legal name: Centre for Criminal Appeals) is a UK charitable company limited by guarantee and a Solicitors Regulation Authority-authorised law practice (SRA Authorisation Number 621184, Registered Charity Number 1144162), founded by Emily Bolton in 2011 and operational since 2014. Headquartered at 72-75 Red Lion Street, London, the organisation fights wrongful convictions and campaigns for systemic reform of the criminal justice system in England and Wales, representing individuals who cannot afford an appeal lawyer before the Court of Appeal and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). It currently employs 27 staff under Co-Directors Emma Torr (barrister) and Matt Foot (solicitor).
APPEAL's product surface combines three integrated lines: (1) specialist legal casework and boots-on-the-ground case investigation; (2) the Bound By Injustice survivor advocacy community, launched in 2018 to provide peer support and empowerment for those affected by miscarriages of justice; and (3) research and policy reform, including the 'Joint Enterprise on Trial' court-watch report, the 'Doubt Dismissed' analysis of majority jury verdicts, and the April 2026 'Seeking Justice: A Guide to Criminal Appeals for Women'. The organisation runs the #PayUp4TimeSpent campaign to scrap the 2014 compensation test, under which fewer than 7% of applications from 2016-2024 were granted.
The business model is non-commercial. APPEAL charges no fees to clients and is funded by a mix of grants from over 20 charitable trusts and foundations (with the National Lottery Community Fund, Baring Foundation, and AB Charitable Trust as core funders), individual donations, and substantial in-kind pro bono legal services from 15+ commercial law firms including Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Latham & Watkins, Gibson Dunn, Reed Smith, and WilmerHale. Marketing and client acquisition are primarily driven by prisoner letters, media coverage (BBC, Sunday Times, Channel 4), and word-of-mouth referrals from the legal community, with public advocacy campaigns driving donations and newsletter sign-ups.
APPEAL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- APPEAL
- Legal name
- Centre for Criminal Appeals
- Website
- https://appeal.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- APPEAL (Centre for Criminal Appeals) is a UK charity and SRA-regulated law practice that provides free legal representation to wrongfully convicted individuals and campaigns for systemic reform of the criminal justice system in England and Wales. Founded in 2011, it serves prisoners and their families through specialist casework, survivor advocacy, and policy research, funded by grants, donations, and pro bono law firm partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
APPEAL industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Aid Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (54111), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where APPEAL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
APPEAL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding: APPEAL receives financial support from grant-giving organisations and charitable trusts including The National Lottery Community Fund, The Baring Foundation, The AB Charitable Trust, and others that fund specific projects and core operations.
- Donations: Individual donors contribute to APPEAL's work. Donations can be made via the website, CAF account, or by cheque.
- Pro Bono Legal Services: APPEAL provides free legal representation to individuals who cannot afford to pay for an appeal lawyer, funded by grants and donations rather than client fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Free legal services for eligible wrongfully convicted individuals |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
APPEAL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
APPEAL is a charity and SRA-regulated law practice that provides free specialist legal representation and fresh-evidence investigation for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted or unfairly sentenced in England and Wales. The organisation's team of specialist lawyers, investigators, and experts investigates cases and presents new evidence or legal arguments to the Court of Appeal or the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), while also running systemic advocacy campaigns to reform the criminal justice system. Services are delivered free of charge to eligible clients who cannot afford to pay for an appeal lawyer.
Product overview
APPEAL (Centre for Criminal Appeals) is a charity and law practice that fights wrongful convictions and promotes a fair justice system in England and Wales. The organization operates as a unified legal service combining specialist casework representation, survivor advocacy, and systemic campaigning. Core offerings include legal representation for wrongful conviction appeals through the Court of Appeal and Criminal Cases Review Commission, the Bound By Injustice survivor community, and research publications including the 'Joint Enterprise on Trial' report and 'Doubt Dismissed' on jury verdicts. The organization also runs the #PayUp4TimeSpent compensation campaign and published 'Seeking Justice: A Guide to Criminal Appeals for Women' in April 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Legal Casework Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Secured the exoneration of Andrew Malkinson in 2023 after more than 17 years of wrongful imprisonment
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use APPEAL
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
APPEAL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
APPEAL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Clifford Chance LLPcoreOne of APPEAL's key pro bono partners. Clifford Chance helps assess cases from prisoners and contributes to strategic litigation and reform projects. Their white collar crime expertise strengthens APPEAL's casework.
- Linklaters LLPcoreMajor pro bono partner supporting APPEAL with casework assessment and legal expertise. Linklaters has also partnered with APPEAL on research projects including homicide law reform.
- Latham & Watkins LLPcorePro bono partner providing legal support on APPEAL's miscarriage of justice cases and reform initiatives.
- Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLPcorePro bono partner assisting with casework and strategic litigation. Charlie Falconer, a patron of APPEAL, is also a partner at Gibson Dunn.
- Reed Smith LLPcorePro bono partner that assisted with the 'Seeking Justice: A Guide to Criminal Appeals for Women' publication, providing vital legal support for the project.
- WilmerHalecorePro bono partner contributing to APPEAL's casework and efforts to challenge wrongful convictions.
- Cooley LLPminorPro bono partner providing legal support on APPEAL's miscarriage of justice cases.
- Dechert LLPminorPro bono partner contributing legal expertise to APPEAL's casework.
- Hogan Lovells LLPminorPro bono partner providing legal support on APPEAL's cases.
- Mishcon de Reya LLPminorPro bono partner supporting APPEAL's work.
- Morrison FoersterminorPro bono partner contributing to APPEAL's casework.
- O'Melveny & Myers LLPminorPro bono partner supporting APPEAL's miscarriage of justice work.
- Ropes & Gray LLPminorPro bono partner contributing legal expertise to APPEAL's cases.
- Seyfarth Shaw LLPminorPro bono partner providing support to APPEAL's work.
- University of East LondonminorUniversity partner collaborating with APPEAL to offer specialist training to aspiring solicitors and barristers, inspiring the next generation of social justice lawyers.
- City UniversityminorUniversity partner working with APPEAL on legal education and training.
- University of NottinghamminorUniversity partner collaborating on legal training and education initiatives.
- University of YorkminorUniversity partner working with APPEAL on law department initiatives.
- Leeds Beckett UniversityminorUniversity partner collaborating with APPEAL on legal education.
- Criminal Appeal Lawyers Association (CALA)coreAPPEAL co-hosts an annual conference with CALA (November 2026) on miscarriages of justice. Both organisations also submit joint responses to government consultations on criminal justice reform.
- University of Sussex (Dr Lucy Welsh)coreAPPEAL collaborated with Dr Lucy Welsh from University of Sussex on the 'Seeking Justice: A Guide to Criminal Appeals for Women' and on research into applicant experiences of the CCRC.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
APPEAL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Centre for Justice Innovation: UK charity working on evidence-based criminal justice reform through research and pilot programmes. Operates in adjacent reform space, with shared funder networks and policy engagement, but focuses on system-level innovation rather than individual casework.
- Legal Action Group: UK charity promoting access to justice through legal education, publications and policy work. APPEAL staff have joined from LAG, indicating overlap in networks and reform orientation, though LAG focuses on legal information infrastructure rather than direct representation.
Direct peers
- Reprieve: UK-based legal charity combining specialist casework with strategic litigation and campaigns on human rights and wrongful detention. Reprieve shares APPEAL's blend of legal representation, investigations, and public-facing advocacy, with overlapping pro bono partner networks.
- Innocence Project: Founded in 1992 in the US, the Innocence Project is the organisation Emily Bolton explicitly modelled APPEAL on, bringing its boots-on-the-ground case investigation and legal-media hybrid approach to England and Wales. Both organisations pursue post-conviction exoneration through investigation, litigation, and policy advocacy.
- Innocence Project UK: A direct UK parallel to APPEAL, focused on investigating and exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals in the British criminal justice system. Operates in the same niche with overlapping intake and casework approach.
- Prisoners Advice Service: UK charity providing legal advice and representation to prisoners, with a particular focus on those without access to legal aid. Operates in the same client-intake model as APPEAL (prisoner letters, individual casework) though with broader prisoner rights scope.
Regional players
- Amicus: US-based legal charity providing representation in post-conviction and capital cases. Operates with a similar mission (post-conviction exoneration, legal aid, reform campaigns) but in a different jurisdiction, making it a thematic rather than direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Justice: UK law reform and human rights charity working on criminal justice, administrative justice, and procedural fairness. While broader than APPEAL in scope, Justice shares the same reform-advocacy and policy-submission orientation.
- Howard League for Penal Reform: The oldest penal reform charity in the UK, operating at much larger scale across the full breadth of criminal justice policy. Less focused on individual casework than APPEAL, but works on overlapping reform areas including wrongful conviction and sentencing.
- Prison Reform Trust: UK charity focused on reform of the prison system and reducing imprisonment. Engages in policy advocacy and research similar to APPEAL but addresses a broader systemic agenda rather than individual wrongful conviction cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
APPEAL social profiles
Digital presenceAPPEAL compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
APPEAL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
APPEAL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
APPEAL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
APPEAL M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about APPEAL
What does APPEAL do?
APPEAL is a charity and SRA-regulated law practice that provides free specialist legal representation and fresh-evidence investigation for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted or unfairly sentenced in England and Wales. The organisation's team of specialist lawyers, investigators, and experts investigates cases and presents new evidence or legal arguments to the Court of Appeal or the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), while also running systemic advocacy campaigns to reform the criminal justice system. Services are delivered free of charge to eligible clients who cannot afford to pay for an appeal lawyer.
Is APPEAL a public or private company?
APPEAL is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was APPEAL founded?
APPEAL was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is APPEAL based?
APPEAL is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does APPEAL make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding is the primary driver. The others are donations and pro Bono Legal Services.
Who are APPEAL's main competitors?
Others on record are Centre for Justice Innovation and Legal Action Group. Direct peers are Reprieve, Innocence Project, Innocence Project UK and Prisoners Advice Service. Amicus is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Justice, Howard League for Penal Reform and Prison Reform Trust.
Does APPEAL have an API?
No public API is recorded for APPEAL.
What industry is APPEAL in?
APPEAL's product category is Legal Aid Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAM, Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services, with a secondary code of BPAHALAG, Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services. Its NAICS code is 54111 and its SIC code is 8111.