Ealing Law Centre

What Ealing Law Centre does

Ealing Law Centre is a registered charity and Private Limited Company (Company No: 08151033, Charity No: 1151243) founded in April 2013 in Hanwell, London, to provide free specialist legal advice and representation in housing, immigration, and welfare rights law. The organisation operates as the only specialist legal services provider in the London Borough of Ealing offering free services across these practice areas, having been established to fill the "advice desert" left by the 2011 collapse of Law for All and the 2012 LASPO Act cuts to civil legal aid. Its core products include Housing Legal Services (homelessness, possession/eviction, disrepair), Asylum and Immigration Legal Services (asylum claims, EU Settlement Scheme, domestic violence and trafficking leave), and Welfare Rights Legal Services (PIP, Universal Credit, ESA, Housing Benefit appeals), plus sub-products such as tenancy deposit recovery, eVisa support, and the Hanwell Big Local welfare benefits project.

The business model is entirely grant and Legal Aid funded: the organisation holds Legal Aid Agency contracts in Housing and Immigration, supplemented by charitable grants (including Home Office funding for eVisa work) and individual donations. All services are provided free to eligible clients, with no fees charged. Go-to-market is community-embedded: staff operate from Hanwell Community Library (which the organisation began managing in 2018 after Ealing Council withdrew branch library funding), conduct outreach at Hanwell Food Bank and Southall Foodbank, and receive referrals from St Mungo's rough sleeper project and other local partners. The technology stack is not product-oriented; the offering is human legal services supported by basic web-based intake forms. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Ealing Law Centre

Legal name

Ealing Law Centre

Website

https://ealinglawcentre.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ealing Law Centre is a registered charity providing free specialist legal advice and representation in housing, immigration, and welfare rights to vulnerable residents in the London Borough of Ealing, funded by Legal Aid contracts, grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Free legal advice
• Housing law services
• Immigration legal aid
• Welfare rights advice
• Community legal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanwell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Aid: Government-funded legal aid through the Legal Aid Agency for housing and immigration cases that meet financial and scope eligibility criteria
2. Grant Funding: Charitable grant funding from various organisations to provide assistance in housing, immigration and welfare benefits work beyond legal aid scope
3. Donations: Voluntary donations from individuals and organisations to support free legal services, including participation in London Legal Walk fundraising events

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ealing Law Centre provides free specialist legal advice and representation in housing, asylum and immigration, and welfare rights law to vulnerable individuals in the London Borough of Ealing and neighbouring boroughs. Services are delivered through Legal Aid Agency contracts and charitable grant funding, with additional community outreach via foodbanks and library services.

Product overview

Ealing Law Centre is a not-for-profit legal advice organization providing free specialist legal services in Housing, Immigration and Welfare Rights law. The organization operates as a single integrated service model, offering legal aid-funded and grant-funded advice and representation to vulnerable community members in Ealing and neighbouring boroughs. Core services include housing legal services (homelessness, eviction, disrepair), asylum and immigration services (including EU Settlement Scheme support and eVisa transitions), and welfare rights advice (benefits appeals, PIP, Universal Credit). Additional specialized services include tenancy deposit recovery partnerships, the Hanwell Big Local welfare benefits project with multilingual support, and community library services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Legal Services Provides legal advice and representation for tenants at risk of homelessness, covering homelessness, possession and eviction, anti-social behaviour, unlawful eviction, and disrepair cases where there is serious risk to health or safety.
• Asylum and Immigration Legal Services Provides legal advice, assistance and representation for asylum seekers, victims of domestic violence and trafficking, including asylum claims, leave to remain applications, EU Settlement Scheme applications, and support with eVisa transitions.
• Welfare Rights Legal Services Provides advice and assistance on all types of welfare benefits matters including Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, and representation at appeal hearings.
• EU Settlement Scheme Services Assists EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with Late-EUSS applications, Pre-Settled to Settled Status transitions, and provides guidance on eligibility criteria and reasonable grounds for delayed applications.
• Tenancy Deposit Recovery Services Partnership with City law firms providing free legal support for individuals with tenancy deposit disputes with landlords, available to those who cannot afford legal advice.
• Hanwell Big Local Welfare Benefits Advice Partnership project providing free welfare benefits advice and representation for Hanwell residents in W13 and W7 areas, available in community languages including Polish, Somali, Hindi and Punjabi.
• eVisa Support Services Home Office-funded service supporting vulnerable community members in Ealing with eVisa applications, helping transition from physical documents (BRPs, vignettes) to digital immigration status.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,400 clients helped since opening in April 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, project-specific, referral and network.

• St Mungo'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing referral partnership through the Rough Sleepers project. St Mungo's identifies rough sleepers and refers them to Ealing Law Centre for immigration advice. Collaborated on cases including Windrush and EUSS applications.
• Big Local and EASEproject-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Hanwell Big Local Welfare Benefits Advice project providing free welfare benefits advice to residents in W13 and W7 areas of Gurnell, Hanwell, Copley Close and High Lane.
• Ealing AdvicereferralChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal advice service providing form filling help and general advice, with mutual referral arrangements for clients needing specialist legal services.
• Hounslow CABreferralChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal advice organisation providing form filling assistance and general advice, with mutual referral arrangements for clients needing specialist services.
• Ealing CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEaling Council provided the opportunity for Ealing Law Centre to manage Hanwell Community Library following the council's decision not to continue running branch libraries. Council also hosts the EU Settlement Scheme information page.
• City Law Firms (Collaboration)project-specificStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Law Centres and three City law firms to provide ongoing legal support for tenancy deposit recovery claims. City firms provide free advice for eligible individuals.
• Law Centres NetworknetworkStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network for law centres providing guidance on volunteer opportunities and best practices for the sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Citizens Advice: National free advice network covering benefits, housing, immigration and consumer issues. Adjacent but much broader incumbent — overlaps with ELC's welfare rights and general advice scope.
• Shelter: National housing charity providing advice, advocacy and legal services on housing issues. Comparable in housing-law advice offering but at far larger scale and national remit.

Direct peers

• Southwark Law Centre: South London Law Centre offering free specialist legal services in housing, immigration, public law and welfare rights. Comparable funding structure and borough-level coverage.
• Hammersmith & Fulham Law Centre: West London Law Centre delivering specialist free advice in housing, immigration and welfare rights. Same Legal Aid funding model and overlapping West London catchment.
• Hackney Community Law Centre: East London Law Centre offering free legal services in housing, immigration, welfare benefits and employment. Directly comparable mission, client base and Legal Aid dependency.
• Mary Ward Legal Centre: London-based Law Centre providing free legal advice in housing, immigration, welfare benefits and employment to people on low incomes. Closely comparable practice mix and client demographics.
• Islington Law Centre: London borough-based Law Centre providing free specialist legal advice in housing, immigration and welfare rights. Closest comparable in size, scope, and funding model (Legal Aid + grants) to Ealing Law Centre.

Emerging players

• Refugee Council: UK charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers with casework, advocacy and integration support. Partial overlap with ELC's asylum and immigration practice and similar vulnerable client base.
• Coram's Legal Centre (Migrant Children's Project): Specialist legal charity focused on children's rights and immigration. Overlaps with ELC's immigration work but targets a narrower (children's) segment.

Others

• Law Centres Network: National membership body for Law Centres. Not a competitor but a sector infrastructure partner providing guidance, training and advocacy — Ealing Law Centre is an active member.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ealing-law-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Ealing Law Centre