Civil Legal Assistance Office

Name

Civil Legal Assistance Office

Legal name

Civil Legal Assistance Office

Website

https://clao.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid
• Public legal assistance
• Legal representation
• Advice services
• Court solicitors

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Aid Services: CLAO is a network of publicly funded court solicitors employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB). Services are provided to legally aided clients at no direct cost to eligible individuals, funded through the Scottish legal aid system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) is a network of publicly funded court solicitors that provides civil legal advice and representation to eligible members of the public across Scotland. Services cover housing, homelessness, family law, mental health, debt, and benefits matters, delivered through regional offices in Inverness, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Argyll and Bute. CLAO also provides referrals, signposting, and second-tier support and training to partner advice agencies.

Product overview

Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) is a network of four regional offices across Scotland providing civil legal aid services. The organization offers a unified service portfolio consisting of direct legal advice and representation for eligible clients, a referral and signposting service for those requiring alternative assistance, and second-tier support and training for partner advice agencies. CLAO covers four geographic regions: Highland and Islands (via Inverness), Edinburgh and the Lothians, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and Argyll and Bute. Core legal areas include housing and homelessness, public family law, mental health and Adults with Incapacity, debt, and benefits matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Legal Assistance Services Direct legal advice and representation for civil matters including housing, homelessness, public family law, mental health, Adults with Incapacity, debt, and welfare benefits matters, provided to eligible clients through a network of regional offices across Scotland.
• Referral and Signposting Service Service directing individuals to suitable legal or advice providers when CLAO cannot directly assist, helping connect people with appropriate sources of help.
• Second-Tier Advice and Training Specialist support, second-tier advice, and training provided to advice organizations, Citizens Advice Bureaux, and other legal providers to build capacity in civil legal assistance across Scotland.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Legal Services Agency (LSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025CLAO has partnered with Legal Services Agency to deliver a national year-long programme of 24 CPD training sessions to the legal profession. CLAO solicitors showcase their core areas of casework and expertise through this partnership, covering topics including housing law, children's hearings, mental health, and family law.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Law Centres Network: UK-wide federation of not-for-profit law centres delivering free legal advice and representation to disadvantaged communities. Operates an analogous publicly-interest legal services model across England and Wales, sharing CLAO's mission and case-mix.
• Citizens Advice Scotland: Network of independent advice bureaux providing free legal and welfare advice across Scotland. Closely aligned mission serving low-income and vulnerable populations with overlapping practice areas in debt, benefits, and housing.
• Solicitor Contact Line (SCL): SLAB-operated helpline providing initial legal advice and information across Scotland. Sister service within SLAB's Client Legal Services Directorate, sharing the same parent body, funding stream, and access-to-justice mandate as CLAO.
• Shelter Scotland: Scotland's leading housing and homelessness charity providing legal advice, representation, and advocacy. Directly comparable in housing law, homelessness prevention, and benefits support services offered to vulnerable populations.
• Legal Services Agency (LSA): Scottish charity delivering specialist civil legal services, particularly in housing and homelessness, with a similar mission of access to justice for disadvantaged clients. Active CPD training partner of CLAO and operates in overlapping practice areas.
• Public Defence Solicitors' Office (PDSO): Sister organisation within SLAB's Client Legal Services Directorate, PDSO delivers publicly funded criminal defence services across Scotland. Closely comparable as a sister SLAB public legal service operating under the same statutory framework and employment model.

Emerging players

• Money Advice Scotland: Scotland's money advice umbrella body providing debt and welfare benefits advice. Overlapping practice area with CLAO's debt and money matters casework for eligible clients.
• Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG): UK charity providing legal advice and representation on social security benefits affecting children and families. Comparable public-interest legal services model with overlapping benefits and family law practice areas.
• Scottish Women's Aid: National umbrella body for domestic abuse services in Scotland. Currently a referral partner of CLAO through the 2023 national referral service, operating in the same gender-based violence legal assistance space.
• Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland: Statutory body safeguarding rights of people with mental illness, learning disability, and related conditions in Scotland. Directly intersects with CLAO's mental health and Adults with Incapacity practice area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/civil-legal-assistance-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Civil Legal Assistance Office