Community Legal Outreach Collaboration KEELE (CLOCK)

What Community Legal Outreach Collaboration KEELE (CLOCK) does

CLOCK is a non-profit community legal access initiative founded in 2012 by Keele University Law School in direct response to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012. It operates a volunteer-driven Community Legal Companion (CLC) service that assists litigants-in-person—predominantly in family law, domestic violence, housing, and asylum matters—by helping complete court application forms, organising case paperwork, accompanying litigants in formal proceedings, taking notes, and signposting users to legal aid, mediation, charitable support, and affordable legal services. The service is provided free of charge to users, who are primarily individuals representing themselves without legal representation.

The operational backbone is the CLOCK IT Application System, a secure online administrative platform that registers applications, performs postcode-based routing of cases to local university law school services, and tracks case outcomes. The portfolio extends to three sub-products: CLOCK-WORKS (training framework for Community Legal Companions), CLOCK-IN (community legal education), and CLOCK-WISE (research and policy dissemination). Distribution is multi-channel: an online application portal, court desks at six active UK court centres (Keele/Stoke-on-Trent, Brighton, Canterbury, Salford, Essex), university law school services, and referral pipelines from participating law firms and third sector organisations.

CLOCK runs a hybrid partnership business model. It does not charge service users; instead it is funded through Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and equivalent institutional support, university membership fees, and in-kind contributions from participating law firms and third sector organisations operating under Memoranda of Understanding. Volunteers (university law students) receive no payment. The legal entity is administered by the University of Keele (Keele, Staffordshire), with Dr Jane Krishnadas serving as CLOCK Concept and Convenor. CLOCK has assisted more than 1,500 court users since 2012 and signposts approximately 12 cases per week for legal aid and affordable services.

Name

Community Legal Outreach Collaboration KEELE (CLOCK)

Legal name

University of Keele

Website

https://clock.uk.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CLOCK is a Keele University-affiliated non-profit that runs a volunteer-driven Community Legal Companion service, training law students to assist UK litigants-in-person with court forms, proceedings, and signposting to legal aid across multiple court centres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Law School Continuing Legal Education (CLE) & Executive Programs (EDAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Access to justice
• Community legal support
• Litigant assistance
• Court accompaniment

Headquarters

HQ city

Keele, Staffordshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. University and Institutional Funding: CLOCK is funded through university partnerships (HEFCE funding), with member universities paying annual membership fees and training fees. The service is provided free of charge to service users.
2. Third Sector Partnership Contributions: Law firms and third sector organisations contribute to training and service delivery as part of their participation in the CLOCK partnership, under Memoranda of Understanding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CLOCK provides a Community Legal Companion Service in which trained university law students assist litigants-in-person with court application forms, paperwork organization, court accompaniment, and note-taking, while signposting users to legal aid, charitable support, mediation, and affordable legal services. The service operates through a multi-sector partnership of universities, law firms, third sector organisations, and courts under a Memorandum of Understanding framework.

Product overview

CLOCK operates as a unified access to justice service centered around its Community Legal Companion (CLC) Service, supported by the CLOCK IT Application System. The service portfolio includes CLOCK-IN for community legal education, CLOCK-WORKS for training Community Legal Companions, and CLOCK-WISE for research dissemination. An online application portal enables direct public access to the service, allowing users to request assistance with court forms, paperwork organization, court accompaniment, and note-taking, while being signposted to appropriate legal aid, charitable, and affordable legal services across family law, domestic violence, housing, and asylum matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Assisted over 1,500 court users since 2012
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, strategic and developing.

• Keele UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLOCK was founded by Keele University Law School. The university administers CLOCK, hosts the website and IT system, and provides the main administrative and academic oversight. Keele University is the Data Controller for the CLOCK Project.
• Hall Smith Whittingham LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm contributing to CLOCK training and services. Jane Wilson is senior partner and National Secretary of Resolution. Provides family mediation services in Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire.
• Lewis Rodgers SolicitorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm participant assisting CLOCK with training recruits and providing advice and assistance on a competitive fixed fee basis. Anna Brunt is Director and accredited Specialist with Resolution for Domestic Violence and Private Children Law.
• Young & Co SolicitorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm committed to offering legal aid and affordable services. Denise Lockett is Director and Owner with 27 years of legal experience. Firm offers fixed fees and unbundled services.
• Citizens Advice Staffordshire North and Stoke on TrentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird sector partner managing Specialist Advice Teams (Welfare Benefits, housing, immigration, employment), Equalities Teams (asylum advice, hate crime projects), and Victims Services. Jude Hawes serves as Specialist Services and Equalities Team Manager.
• SavanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent Sexual Violence Advisor service collaborating with Keele Law companions. Provides support for vulnerable people with practical issues in accessing legal support.
• Stoke-on-Trent Combined Court CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCourt providing space for Community Legal Companions and advance approval of companion assistance in court in accordance with Judicial discretion under McKenzie Practice Guidance 2010.
• Brighton University (Sussex)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner leading CLOCK Community Legal Companion Service for Brighton/Sussex Court Centre area.
• Canterbury Christ Church University (Kent)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner leading CLOCK Community Legal Companion Service for Canterbury/Kent Court Centre area.
• University of Salford (Greater Manchester)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner leading CLOCK Community Legal Companion Service for Salford/Greater Manchester Court Centre area.
• University of EssexmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner leading CLOCK Community Legal Companion Service for Essex Court Centre area.
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for Innovations in International Outreach Social and Legal Methodologies in Research and Education, supported by UKIERI British Council and UGC, India.
• Birmingham City UniversitydevelopingStrategic or Co-development PartnerForthcoming university partnership to develop CLOCK service in Birmingham and West Midlands area.
• Liverpool John Moores UniversitydevelopingStrategic or Co-development PartnerForthcoming university partnership to develop CLOCK service in Liverpool area.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Toynbee Hall: East London charity providing free advice services including debt, welfare benefits, housing, and employment support. Comparable as a multi-service advice provider for marginalised communities, with a longer operating history but similar service philosophy.
• Access to Justice Foundation: UK charity focused on funding, research, and policy advocacy for access to justice. Comparable as a sector-wide coordinating body addressing the same LASPO-era unmet legal needs that CLOCK targets.
• Shelter: UK-wide housing charity providing free advice, advocacy, and legal services on housing issues. Comparable in addressing housing-related legal need for vulnerable populations, though broader in mission and scale.

Direct peers

• Law Centres Network: Federation of independent law centres providing free legal advice and representation in social welfare law. Comparable as a publicly-funded access-to-justice delivery model focused on the same post-LASPO gap.
• Mary Ward Legal Centre: London-based charity providing free legal advice and casework for disadvantaged adults in housing, welfare benefits, employment, and immigration. Comparable as a free legal aid/access-to-justice charity.
• LawWorks (Not-for-Profit Law Programme): LawWorks coordinates pro bono legal services across England and Wales, connecting law firms with individuals and charities in need. Highly comparable as a broker/signposter between law firms and litigants who cannot afford representation.
• Citizens Advice: UK's largest independent advice network providing free, confidential advice on legal, debt, housing, and welfare issues. Directly comparable as a free legal/signposting service for vulnerable populations, and Citizens Advice Staffordshire North & Stoke-on-Trent is itself a CLOCK partner.
• Community Law Partnership: Birmingham-based law firm providing specialist legal services to disadvantaged communities, often via law school and community partnerships. Comparable as a social-welfare legal services provider with a similar community-anchored model.
• RCJ Advice (Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice): Provides free legal advice and representation at the Royal Courts of Justice for litigants-in-person. Directly comparable as a court-anchored, volunteer-staffed service assisting unrepresented court users.

Emerging players

• Advicenow: Online legal information and signposting resource for England and Wales, helping people understand and resolve legal issues including going to court. Comparable as a digital-first access-to-justice signposting tool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CLOCKjustice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-legal-outreach-collaboration-keele-clock

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 Community Legal Outreach Collaboration KEELE (CLOCK)