South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice

What South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice does

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice (SYRLJ) is a UK-registered charity founded in 2011 that delivers free immigration legal services to refused asylum seekers and other at-risk migrants across South Yorkshire. Operating from the Quaker Meeting House in Sheffield, the organization is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) at Level 3 and functions as the only dedicated provider of immigration legal representation for refused asylum seekers in the region — a gap that emerged from a public meeting convened by local legal practitioners in 2011. Its core services comprise full legal representation (fresh claims and further applications to the Home Office), one-off legal advice delivered via multi-agency drop-in sessions at Victoria Hall in Sheffield and Hope House in Barnsley, and structured practitioner training covering legal advice boundaries and working with interpreters.

SYRLJ does not develop proprietary technology; its technical footprint is limited to standard case management and client communication tooling, an SSL-encrypted website for referrals and donor engagement, and Stripe-based donation processing. All legal services are provided pro bono, and there is no software product, mobile application, or API. The organization's go-to-market is community-led: referrals and client acquisition flow through partnerships with City of Sanctuary Sheffield, Barnsley Borough City of Sanctuary, ASSIST Sheffield, and other grassroots organizations, supplemented by organic social media (Facebook, X) and word-of-mouth.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable grants and donations from foundations and public bodies — including The Access to Justice Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, NPC Open Philanthropy, Sheffield City Council, and The National Lottery Awards for All — with no fee-for-service income, no equity backing, and no parent company. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates with a small team led by Director Tara Topteagarden (joined 2021) and Legal Director Tom Nunn (joined 2022). The organization also runs volunteer, IAA qualification, and solicitor qualification pathways (SQE Qualifying Work Experience), positioning itself as both a service provider and a training ground for the immigration legal sector.

Name

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice

Legal name

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice

Website

https://syrlj.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice (SYRLJ) is a Sheffield-based UK charity founded in 2011 that provides free, IAA Level 3-regulated immigration legal representation and advice to refused asylum seekers across South Yorkshire, and is the only dedicated service of its kind in the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Immigration Legal Services & Representation (Law Firms) (THACAKAF)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Asylum legal representation
• Human rights law
• Refugee legal aid
• Immigration advice charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Fundraising: SYRLJ operates as a registered charity funded primarily through grants from charitable foundations and fundraising activities. Funders include The Access to Justice Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, NPC Open Philanthropy, Gina Clayton Legacy Fund, Scurrah Wainwright Charity, The Hilden Charitable Fund, The Brelms Trust, Sheffield City Council, and The National Lottery Awards for All.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SYRLJ provides free immigration legal representation and casework to refused asylum seekers (those whose asylum claims have been refused) living in South Yorkshire who have no other legal representation. It also delivers one-off legal advice via multi-agency drop-in sessions in Sheffield and Barnsley, and provides training courses on immigration law topics to practitioners working with people seeking sanctuary.

Product overview

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice operates as a single-service legal charity offering a unified portfolio of immigration legal services centered on providing free legal representation to refused asylum seekers in South Yorkshire. The core offering consists of Legal Representation (for Appeal Rights Exhausted clients), One-off Legal Advice (via drop-in sessions), and practitioner Training courses. Supporting programs include volunteer casework opportunities, trustee governance roles, and career development pathways supporting IAA and solicitor qualifications. The organization does not offer a software product; all value delivery is through direct legal services, training programs, and professional development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Representation Free legal representation and casework for people whose asylum claims have been refused, are living in South Yorkshire, and who do not have any other legal representation in place. Immigration specialists focusing on Human Rights related legal issues; does not cover initial asylum claims, appeals, private immigration work, or other areas of law.
• One-off Legal Advice One-off legal advice provided at multi-agency drop-in sessions in Sheffield and Barnsley for individuals who need legal guidance but do not meet full representation criteria.
• Training for Practitioners Training courses for practitioners on immigration law topics including 'Legal Advice Boundaries' (rules around providing legal advice, managing boundaries between support and legal advice, implications of giving unregulated legal advice) and 'Working with Interpreters'. Also includes community workshops and events supporting understanding of the current legal situation and the hostile environment.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Sanctuary SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSYRLJ regularly attends City of Sanctuary Sheffield's multi-agency drop-in at Victoria Hall in Sheffield. Partnership provides access to clients and referral pathways.
• Barnsley Borough City of SanctuarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSYRLJ attends Barnsley Borough City of Sanctuary's multi-agency drop-in at Hope House in Barnsley. Partnership provides access to clients and referral pathways.
• Immigration Advice Authority (IAA)coreOthersGovernment regulator that authorizes SYRLJ to provide immigration legal advice and representation up to IAA Level 3. All SYRLJ legal advisers are IAA accredited through this regulatory body.
• AdviceUKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational advice membership organization that SYRLJ is affiliated with, providing access to networks and resources for advice sector organizations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Praxis: London-based charity providing immigration legal advice and casework for migrants, including refused asylum seekers and people with insecure status. Comparable as a specialist immigration legal aid charity; SYRLJ Legal Adviser Laura worked at Praxis for over six years before joining SYRLJ.
• Bail for Immigration Detainees (BiD): Charity providing legal advice and representation to people in immigration detention, including bail applications and substantive immigration casework. Directly comparable — SYRLJ's Legal Director Tom Nunn previously managed BID's Right to Liberty Project, and Legal Adviser Laura volunteered at BiD before obtaining her IAA Level 1 accreditation.
• Refugee Council: UK's largest charity working with refugees and asylum seekers, providing immigration legal advice and representation across the country. Comparable because it serves the same client population (refused asylum seekers) with IAA-regulated legal services, though at national rather than regional scale — SYRLJ's Chair Gary Bell previously worked at the Refugee Council.
• South West London Law Centres: London law centres providing specialist immigration and asylum casework. Comparable as an immigration legal aid charity; SYRLJ Senior Legal Adviser Jamie previously practised immigration casework at South West London Law Centres before joining SYRLJ.
• Manuel Bravo Project: Leeds-based charity providing immigration legal advice and representation to asylum seekers and refugees in Yorkshire. Closest geographic and functional peer to SYRLJ — same region, same client population, same IAA-regulated legal aid model; SYRLJ Legal Adviser Anna previously volunteered with Manuel Bravo's Support and Empower project.

Others

• City of Sanctuary UK: National network of local 'City of Sanctuary' groups supporting asylum seekers and refugees. Comparable as a partner-organisation ecosystem (SYRLJ runs drop-ins at City of Sanctuary Sheffield and Barnsley), though City of Sanctuary is a movement/organiser rather than a direct legal services provider.
• ASSIST Sheffield: Sheffield charity supporting asylum seekers with accommodation and destitution support. Comparable as a frontline partner organisation referring refused asylum seekers to SYRLJ for legal representation; SYRLJ Trustee Victor Mujakachi works at ASSIST Sheffield.

Regional players

• Kirklees Law Centre: Law centre in West Yorkshire providing immigration legal services alongside other areas of social welfare law. Comparable as a regional UK law centre delivering IAA-regulated immigration representation, but covering a different geographic patch than SYRLJ's South Yorkshire focus.
• Sheffield Law Centre: Sheffield-based law centre providing legal advice and representation across multiple areas including immigration. Comparable as a regional legal aid provider in the same city as SYRLJ, but offering a broader legal-aid portfolio rather than a specialist immigration focus; SYRLJ Trustee Anne Hudson has worked at both Kirklees and Sheffield Law Centres.

Emerging players

• Freedom from Torture: UK charity providing therapeutic and medico-legal documentation support for survivors of torture, many of whom have refused asylum claims. Comparable in serving refused asylum seekers with complex cases; SYRLJ Director Tara Topteagarden previously worked at Freedom from Torture.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/syrlj
• Facebookfacebook.com/syrlj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-yorkshire-refugee-law-and-justice

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice