qLegal
qLegal is a non-profit academic legal clinic operated by Queen Mary University of London that provides free legal advice, ongoing support, and educational resources to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profits, delivered by supervised law students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What qLegal does
qLegal is a non-profit academic legal clinic operated by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), a Russell Group university established in 1785. The service provides free legal advice, ongoing support, and educational resources to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profits, primarily within the London market. It operates as an expression of QMUL's teaching and outreach mission, delivering legal services through supervised law students enrolled in the Legal Advisory Programme, the Future of Law Programme, and the Externships Programme.
The service is human-delivered and does not deploy proprietary technology. Client-facing offerings include Free Legal Advice, Regular (Extern) Support, New Ideas / Creative Problem Solving, and a Resource Hub of educational content. An ecosystem of qualified lawyers supervises student advisors, and an Enterprise Supporters programme alongside an Advisory Board provides governance, funding, and external engagement. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on QMUL's institutional channels, word-of-mouth within the London entrepreneurial ecosystem, annual impact reports, and referrals from partners.
qLegal generates no commercial revenue: services are free to qualifying clients, and the operation is funded institutionally by QMUL and through Enterprise Supporters. The service is described as award-winning, though specific awards are not enumerated in the available source material. The unit is therefore best understood as a cost-centre educational and community service inside a university rather than a standalone commercial legal vendor.
qLegal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- qLegal
- Legal name
- Queen Mary University of London
- Website
- https://qlegal.qmul.ac.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- qLegal is a non-profit academic legal clinic operated by Queen Mary University of London that provides free legal advice, ongoing support, and educational resources to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profits, delivered by supervised law students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
qLegal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical Legal Education & Legal Aid Clinics (Law School–Run) (EDAHAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE) (EDAAALAB)
Keywords
Where qLegal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
qLegal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- University-funded service: qLegal operates as a not-for-profit educational initiative funded by Queen Mary University of London. The service provides free legal advice to clients (entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profits) and uses supervised law students to deliver services, creating an educational benefit for students while providing community value.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free legal advice and support service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
qLegal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
qLegal is a free legal advice service operated by Queen Mary University of London that provides pro bono legal support to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profit organisations. Services are delivered by supervised law students under the oversight of qualified lawyers, combining legal assistance for clients with practical education opportunities for students. The service includes free legal advice, regular extern support, creative problem solving, and a resource hub.
Product overview
qLegal is a single, unified legal advisory service provided by Queen Mary University of London. It offers free legal advice, support, and resources to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profits through client services (Free Legal Advice, Regular Extern Support, New Ideas/Creative Problem Solving, Resource Hub) and student programmes (Legal Advisory Programme, Future of Law Programme, Externships Programme, Other Opportunities). The service is delivered by law students under supervision, combining legal assistance for clients with educational opportunities for students.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Legal Advice
- Regular (Extern) Support
- New Ideas/Creative Problem Solving
- Resource Hub
Companies that use qLegal
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
qLegal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
qLegal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Enterprise supporterscoreEnterprise supporters partner with qLegal to support the service and gain involvement in developing the next generation of legal professionals. Supporters provide resources and engagement opportunities for students and clients.
- LawyerscoreQualified lawyers partner with qLegal to provide supervision for student advisors and contribute to client service delivery. They offer a fun and easy way of giving back to the legal community while supporting student development.
- Queen Mary University of LondonflagshipqLegal is a service of Queen Mary University of London, operating as an educational initiative within the university's ecosystem. The university provides institutional support, facilities, and access to law students.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
qLegal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oxford Pro Bono Publico: Run by the University of Oxford's Faculty of Law, OPBP is a pro bono research and advisory programme staffed by postgraduate law students — a closely comparable university-embedded, student-staffed model with a stronger research orientation than qLegal.
- BPP University Law School Clinic: BPP runs multiple law clinics across the UK where supervised law students provide free legal advice to individuals and small businesses — a near-identical operating model to qLegal with national reach that qLegal lacks.
- City, University of London Law School Clinic: City's law school operates pro bono legal advice projects in central London staffed by supervised students, targeting community members and SMEs — directly competing with qLegal for the same London-based client base.
- UCL Laws Pro Bono & Clinic: University College London's law school pro bono and clinic programme offers free legal advice to community members and SMEs using supervised UCL law students — directly mirroring qLegal's Russell Group university-clinic model in the same London market.
Broad incumbents
- LawWorks: LawWorks is the national pro bono charity of the Law Society of England and Wales, coordinating volunteer solicitors to deliver free legal advice across the UK. It is a broader incumbent that aggregates the kind of pro bono legal services qLegal provides at a single institution.
- Citizens Advice: Citizens Advice is a large national network providing free, confidential legal and welfare advice to individuals across the UK. While not law-school-run, it competes with qLegal for the same 'free legal advice' demand among low-resource clients and small organisations.
- Legal Aid Agency: The Legal Aid Agency is the UK government body responsible for administering civil and criminal legal aid. While qLegal is not a state-funded legal aid provider, the LAA defines the regulatory and funding environment in which university clinics like qLegal operate and competes for the same 'free legal help' client demand.
- Law Society of England and Wales: The Law Society is the professional body for solicitors in England and Wales and runs pro bono policy and coordination programmes. It operates at a national regulatory and convening level that encompasses the type of pro bono legal services qLegal delivers locally.
Regional players
- RCJ Advice (Citizens Advice at the Royal Courts of Justice): RCJ Advice is a London-based Citizens Advice bureau at the Royal Courts of Justice providing free legal advice and casework support, particularly to litigants in person. While not a university clinic, it offers overlapping free legal services to a similar London demographic.
Emerging players
- Clinic & Pro Bono programmes at LSE, KCL, and other London law schools: Other London law schools (LSE, King's College London, SOAS) operate varying pro bono and clinical legal education programmes. They are emerging or partial competitors with overlapping student-supervised free legal advice models but generally narrower service offerings than qLegal.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Customer concentration
qLegal social profiles
Digital presenceqLegal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
qLegal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
qLegal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
qLegal 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 qLegal
What does qLegal do?
qLegal is a free legal advice service operated by Queen Mary University of London that provides pro bono legal support to entrepreneurs, start-ups, and non-profit organisations. Services are delivered by supervised law students under the oversight of qualified lawyers, combining legal assistance for clients with practical education opportunities for students. The service includes free legal advice, regular extern support, creative problem solving, and a resource hub.
Is qLegal a public or private company?
qLegal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was qLegal founded?
qLegal was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is qLegal based?
qLegal is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does qLegal make money?
One revenue line is on record: university-funded service.
Who are qLegal's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oxford Pro Bono Publico, BPP University Law School Clinic, City, University of London Law School Clinic and UCL Laws Pro Bono & Clinic. Broad incumbents are LawWorks, Citizens Advice, Legal Aid Agency and Law Society of England and Wales. RCJ Advice (Citizens Advice at the Royal Courts of Justice) is listed as a regional player. Clinic & Pro Bono programmes at LSE, KCL, and other London law schools is listed as an emerging player.
Does qLegal have an API?
No public API is recorded for qLegal.
What industry is qLegal in?
qLegal's product category is Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAIAG, Clinical Legal Education & Legal Aid Clinics (Law School–Run), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAM, Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services. Its NAICS code is 54111 and its SIC code is 8111.