London Legal Support Trust

What London Legal Support Trust does

London Legal Support Trust (LLST) is an independent registered charity (registration number 1101906) founded in 2004 and headquartered at 1 Lady Hale Gate, Gray's Inn, London. The organisation operates as a fundraising and capacity-building intermediary for the free legal advice sector across London and the South East of England, channelling money and operational support from the legal profession, foundations, and government to more than 100 frontline advice agencies each year. Its beneficiary base includes law centres, Citizens Advice offices, and specialist charities providing free legal advice on issues such as housing, immigration, welfare rights, disability, and trafficking. The charity is led by a 17-person team, governed by trustees, and counts Cherie Blair, CBE, QC, as its patron.

LLST's product portfolio is centred on grant funding, sector infrastructure, and event-based fundraising rather than technology. Core offerings include direct grants, the Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme (LASS, the rebranded successor to the long-running Centres of Excellence programme) which pairs unrestricted multi-year funding with tailored organisational consultancy, a LASS Alumni network, the Billing Project (which has helped partner agencies generate £443,214 in income in its second phase and £759,333 in its third phase), a Workforce Development Programme built into the Propel funding initiative (£3.8m allocated across eight partnerships, £4.15m with match funding), the Advising Londoners Partnership with the Greater London Authority and the London Citizens Advice network, a Training and Learning programme, and a Supplier Directory offering operational discounts through partner firms (Worknest, AspiraCloud, Utility Aid, Lift Islington, John M Hayes). Fundraising is dominated by the London Legal Walk — the largest event in the UK legal fundraising calendar, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2024 — alongside the Great Legal Bake, Great Legal Quiz, London Legal Walkies, Walk The Thames, and challenge events. Back-office technology is standard charity operations tooling (Salesforce, Pardot, Mailchimp, Stripe, PayPal, CAF Bank) and there are no proprietary technology or AI products.

LLST's revenue model is entirely donation- and grant-funded: individual giving (including the Champions for Justice monthly programme), corporate support from law firms and chambers, foundation grants (Legal Education Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Trust for London), Greater London Authority programme funding, and event-based fundraising. The organisation does not charge advice agencies for its services and is not commercially priced. Its go-to-market is a hybrid of event-driven fundraising (the Walk-led model) and community-led relationship management with both donors and grantees. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed, but the breadth of programmes and the scale of multi-year foundation commitments indicate annual income in the multi-million-pound range, with significant pass-through grant activity layered on top.

Name

London Legal Support Trust

Legal name

London Legal Support Trust

Website

https://londonlegalsupporttrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London Legal Support Trust is an independent UK charity founded in 2004 that raises funds and provides grant funding, training, and operational support to over 100 free legal advice agencies across London and the South East of England.

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monthly giving and one-time donations from individual supporters, managed through the Champions for Justice programme and general donation pathways.
2. Corporate Donations: Support from law firms, chambers, and companies through event participation, sponsorships, and partnerships.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Legal Education Foundation, City Bridge Foundation, National Lottery Community Fund, and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
4. Government Funding: Funding from Greater London Authority for specific programmes like the Advising Londoners Partnership.
5. Event Fundraising: Revenue generated from fundraising events including London Legal Walk, Great Legal Bake, Great Legal Quiz, and challenge events. In 2016, over £320,000 was given away through event fundraising by charities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

London Legal Support Trust is an independent registered charity that raises funds for free legal advice services in London and the South East. It provides grant funding and non-monetary support (training, organisational development, sector networking, and a Supplier Directory) to free legal advice agencies, and runs fundraising events such as the London Legal Walk to sustain those frontline services.

Product overview

London Legal Support Trust is an independent charity that raises funds for free legal advice services in London and the South East. The organization operates as a charitable network rather than a technology product company, offering grant funding programs, the Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme (LASS) for long-term organisational support, training and workforce development programs, sector infrastructure support, and fundraising events. The core offerings include grant funding, capacity building through the LASS Alumni Network, the Billing Project for revenue optimization, the Workforce Development Programme, the Advising Londoners Partnership, a Supplier Directory, and various fundraising events including the annual London Legal Walk.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme (LASS): A programme providing unrestricted funding with tailored support to help specialist free legal advice organisations strengthen their long-term sustainability, formerly known as Centres of Excellence.

Products and services

• Grant Funding Program Provides grant funding to free legal advice centres across London and the South East to support their operations and expand specialist free legal advice services for vulnerable individuals.
• Legal Advice Sustainability Scheme (LASS) Long-term, trust-based programme offering unrestricted funding and tailored consultancy support to help specialist free legal advice organisations strengthen their long-term sustainability, including grants of £75k spread over 5 years.
• LASS Alumni Network Ongoing support network for LASS alumni offering tailored organisational consultancy, training, learning and peer-support opportunities, plus access to an Alumni unrestricted funding pot.
• Workforce Development Programme Programme under Propel tackling workforce issues in the advice sector, with a focus on the Robust Safety Net to address career pathway challenges and the advice-sector workforce crisis, creating cohorts of newly qualified solicitors across boroughs.
• Advising Londoners Partnership Strategic collaboration with the Greater London Authority and London Citizens Advice network funding increased advisor capacity across the London advice sector in response to the cost of living crisis.
• Billing Project Initiative to aid the free legal advice sector with billing needs, helping agencies secure cashflow and increase income through improved billing procedures and legal aid billing know-how.
• Sector Infrastructure Support Offers knowledge, contacts, and sector experience to help free legal advice agencies become more sustainable through organisational development, networking and shared learning.
• Training and Learning Program Provides training opportunities tailored to advice agencies covering topics such as billing, costs training, charity finance, digital development, legal aid billing, and safeguarding.
• Supplier Directory Directory of cost-effective suppliers for free legal advice agencies covering billing services, data management, finance, HR, IT, office supplies, and venue hire, providing discounted access that helps agencies reduce operational costs.
• Event Fundraising (London Legal Walk and others) Fundraising events including the London Legal Walk, Great Legal Bake, Great Legal Quiz, London Legal Walkies, Walk The Thames and Challenge Events, allowing free legal advice charities to raise funds with 100% of proceeds going to the participating organisation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported over 100 organisations in London and the South East each year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers23 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Access to Justice FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with LLST for the Emergency Appeal for Community Justice Fund, raising over £200,000 to help specialist social welfare legal advice organisations cope with COVID-19 pandemic impacts. Also shares data for joint fundraising through events and schemes.
• London Citizens Advice networkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Advising Londoners Partnership along with GLA and LLST, working to deliver advice that responds to cost of living crisis needs.
• Advice UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector representative in the advice skills gap task group, involved in Propel workforce development funding initiative. Provides training qualifications including Level 3 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma in Advice and Guidance.
• Refugee ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector representative in the advice skills gap task group discussions.
• Law Centres NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector representative in advice skills gap task group and funded partner under Propel for workforce development, creating cohorts of newly qualified solicitors across 14 boroughs.
• University House Legal Advice CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSector representative in task group and funded partner under Propel, supporting solicitor apprentices from disadvantaged communities.
• Virgin Money GivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFundraising platform used for processing event donations and individual giving.
• CAF BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processor for donations and fundraising activities.
• StripeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processor for online transactions.
• PayPalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processor for online donations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Advice UK: Membership body for independent advice charities; LLST funds its member agencies and partners on workforce development. Similar focus on sustaining the free advice sector through capacity-building.
• LawWorks: UK charity connecting lawyers with pro bono opportunities; LLST grantee and partner in the London legal advice ecosystem. Complementary role in expanding access to free legal services.
• Citizens Advice: UK's largest free legal advice network; London Citizens Advice is a direct partner in the Advising Londoners Partnership. Comparable mission of providing free legal advice, with overlapping funder and beneficiary base.
• Access to Justice Foundation: UK charity that funds free legal advice and representation; co-funder with LLST on the Emergency Appeal for Community Justice Fund. Directly comparable mission, funding model, and beneficiary base.
• City Bridge Foundation: London's largest funder tackling disadvantage; co-funds LLST's Billing Project and LASS programme. Comparable grantmaking activity focused on London social welfare and access to justice.
• Legal Education Foundation: UK foundation funding legal advice and access to justice initiatives; core LLST funder for the Billing Project and Propel. Comparable mission and grantmaking activity in the legal aid space.
• National Lottery Community Fund: UK's largest community funder; core LLST supporter of COEx/LASS and the Advice Sector Skills Gap Initiative. Comparable grantmaking focus on community-led advice and support services.
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation: Major UK grantmaker supporting the advice sector; co-funds LLST's Shared Ground Fund and Propel initiative. Comparable funding approach and overlapping beneficiary organisations.
• Law Centres Network: UK umbrella body for Law Centres providing free legal advice; LLST funds many Law Centres via LASS and is a strategic partner. Operates in the same legal aid sector with overlapping stakeholder relationships.
• Trust for London: Major London-focused anti-poverty funder; LLST is a co-funder on Propel and the advice skills gap task group. Operates as a London grantmaker supporting access to justice and social welfare advice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/londonlegal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LndnLegalSupportTrst/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/LondonLegalSupportTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/london-legal-support-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/londonlegalsupporttrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about London Legal Support Trust