News and events

24 June 2025

Thank You for Supporting SWLLC at the London Legal Walk 2025

Last week, our team at South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) proudly took part in the London Legal Walk 2025, walking alongside thousands of others from across the legal and advice…

11 June 2025

SWLLC Cost of Living Volunteer Team Honoured at the 2025 Merton Civic Pride Awards 

We are thrilled to announce that our dedicated Cost of Living volunteer team has been honoured with a 2025 Merton Partnership Civic Pride Volunteer Award.  This award recognises the extraordinary…

9 April 2025

From Financial Crisis to Economic Justice; Community Stories  

The cost-of-living crisis has yet to see a reprise, with 2.2 million families across the UK struggling with debt. People are being forced with the alarming decision of eating or…

11 February 2025

Judith on Why You Should Volunteer at SWLLC 

Judith joined South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) almost a year ago, bringing with her a wealth of professional experience and a deep concern about the impact of the cost-of-living…

2 December 2024

Celebrating 50 Years  

On Monday, November 18, 2024, South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) marked an extraordinary milestone—50 years of standing alongside our communities to ensure access to justice for all. Held at…

25 October 2024

Temporary Accommodation Project — in conversation with Rhi 

We, at South West London Law Centres, believe that everyone deserves access to safe and decent housing, especially those who are who are vulnerable or experiencing homelessness.   The number of…

19 September 2024

Bob Nightingale: Lessons from our past, 50 years of more than just advice

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of South West London Law Centres, it’s important to reflect on how far we’ve come. Before we take you on that journey with us through…

11 September 2024

New Service – Support with eVisas 

As the Home Office transitions to eVisas and digitises services, all Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) and most Biometric Residence Cards (BRCs) are set to expire on 31 December 2024. If…

6 August 2024

Expert Comments: 53-Week Rent Year & Cost of Living Crisis

The financial year of 2024 features the anomaly of having 53 Mondays, as opposed to the usual 52, resulting in an extra week. While many might believe that this has…

26 June 2024

“20 years of walking for justice, 50 years of legal support”

Last week, we proudly participated in the 20th annual London Legal Walk, organised by the London Legal Support Trust, on Tuesday, 18 June 2024, joining other legal professionals, organisations, and…

5 June 2024

2024 Volunteers’ Week: More Than 50 Years of Impact 

While we celebrate our 50th anniversary year, we are reminded that our journey towards ensuring access to justice would have been impossible without the support and commitment of our volunteers.  

This Volunteers’ Week, we celebrate their invaluable dedication and the profound impact they have made on our community.

24 May 2024

The 2024 London Legal Walk: Walk with SWLLC 

We, at South West London Law Centres (SWLLC), are thrilled to invite you to this year’s London Legal Walk on Tuesday, 18th June 2024, hosted by the London Legal Support…

19 April 2024

Reflections of the past 50 years, dedicated to 50 more 

As South West London Law Centres enters its 50th year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a monumental achievement this milestone presents, not only for us but for our clients, our communities and for access to justice as a whole.

22 March 2024

Advocating for Safer Housing Through Awaab’s Law   

We recently participated in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consultation on Awaab’s Law, focused on enforcing timely repairs in social housing.  

21 March 2024

Access to Justice Report Launch in Surrey

Yesterday, the 20th March, we marked a pivotal moment in the quest for access to justice in Surrey with the launch of our Access to Justice in Surrey Report at…

4 March 2024

SWLLC Response to the Review of Civil Legal Aid – Call for Evidence 

In our commitment to ensure access to justice for our communities, South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) has submitted a comprehensive response to the Ministry of Justice’s call for evidence…

20 February 2024

SWLLC Response to Michael Gove’s Brownfield Proposal: “Listen to your communities”

It is incumbent upon the government to listen to community-driven solutions. As advocates for social justice and equitable housing, we urge policymakers to engage with grassroots organisations and marginalised communities to ensure that any housing initiative is implemented in a way that truly meets the needs of those most affected.

14 December 2023

Holiday Season – Updates to Our Service Hours

As the holiday season approaches, we want to keep you informed about our office hours and service availability.

22 November 2023

TURN UP TUESDAYS: New Community Drop-in Service

In an effort to extend crucial assistance to those grappling with financial challenges, we are proud to introduce “Turn Up Tuesday” – a new drop-in service at our Croydon office…

8 November 2023

Pro Bono Week 2023 at SWLLC

The 22nd annual Pro Bono Week in the UK, set to take place from 6th to 10th November 2023, is a celebration of the voluntary contributions made by legal professionals…

7 November 2023

New Housing Advice Lines in Wandsworth and Merton

We are pleased to announce the new Housing Advice Lines in Wandsworth and Merton, designed to help navigate housing-related issues and concerns.

6 September 2023

Community and Collaboration at Our 2nd Annual Social Justice Picnic 2023

We’re excited to share the success of our Annual Social Justice Picnic, held on 30 August at Park Hill Park, Croydon.

4 July 2023

SWLLC and the Justice First Fellowship: Empowering Future Advocates

At South West London Law Centres (SWLLC), we are dedicated to nurturing young minds and empowering them to make a significant impact in the field of social welfare law. One…

22 June 2023

Walking for Access to Justice 2023

South West London Law Centre (SWLLC) proudly participated in the annual London Legal Walk on Tuesday, 13th June 2023, joining legal professionals, organisations, and supporters in a collective effort to…

6 June 2023

SWLLC Pro Bono Volunteers Win Joint Award in Merton Partnership Civic Pride Celebration 2023

We are so proud to announce that Sital Somaiya and Charlotte Pugh have both been awarded joint first place for Employee Volunteer of the Year Award in the Merton Partnership…

5 June 2023

Celebrating Volunteers’ Week and Nurturing Community

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any community-driven organisation, and South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) is no exception. As we celebrate Volunteers’ Week, we want to take a moment to…

17 May 2023

Embracing Change and Continual Improvement: SWLLC’s Lexcel Audit

The South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) recently completed a Lexcel audit, showcasing our commitment to high-quality legal services and strong compliance culture. Despite pandemic-related challenges, the Lexcel auditor praised…

13 April 2023

Our Letter to Michael Gove MP: Call to Action on Unsafe Housing Conditions

At South West London Law Centres (SWLLC), we believe that everyone deserves safe, secure, and healthy housing. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many people in the UK, and…

29 March 2023

SWLLC Relocates Kingston Office Staff, Services to Continue Uninterrupted

South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) is committed to providing quality legal services to the communities it serves. We have recently made the decision to relocate our Kingston office staff…

24 March 2023

SWLLC joins Renters’ Day of Action: legal aid and access to justice

On Tuesday, 21st March, South West London Law Centres (SWLLC) participated in the Renters Reform Coalition’s Renters’ Day of Action at Church House Westminster, London. The event aimed to bring…

18 January 2023

Cost of Living: Energy Price Increases

The Government has announced plans to reduce the support for vulnerable households in fuel poverty for 2023-24. The plans are on top of an increase in energy bills from 01…

13 December 2022

Christmas opening times 2022

We will be operating a reduced service over the festive season. Our Croydon office will be open as follows: Our phone lines will be closed from 12pm on Friday 23…

7 December 2022

We’re an accredited Living Wage Employer

We are delighted to announce that the Law Centre has been accredited as a Living Wage Employer. This means that everyone working here will receive at least the minimum hourly…

16 November 2022

Our open letter to Michael Gove following the inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak

Our CEO Patrick Marples has sent an open letter to Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove following the inquest’s findings that the cause of two-year-old…

11 November 2022

Talk Money Week 2022

Talk Money Week takes place every year to raise awareness of the importance of talking about money. This year, it is even more important due to the cost of living…

10 November 2022

Pro Bono Week 2022

Each year Pro Bono Week gives the opportunity to acknowledge the huge – and vital – contribution that volunteer lawyers make in enabling people to access justice. We know that…

3 November 2022

Our joint letter to the PM

We, along with 60 other charities, have sent a joint letter to the Prime Minister demanding that he takes urgent action over the energy and cost of living crisis to…

25 October 2022

Housing solicitor appointed deputy district judge

The Law Centre’s housing team continues to go from strength to strength with housing solicitor Jeinsen Lam having been appointed as deputy district judge in the South Eastern Circuit. Jeinsen…

20 October 2022

Campaigning for Energy for All

On Wednesday 19 October we took part in the #EnergyForAll rally and march at Westminster. The event, organised by Fuel Poverty Action, culminated in delivering a petition to Downing Street….

18 October 2022

Anti-Slavery Day 2022

Anti-Slavery Day is a chance to pay particular attention to the grave realities of human trafficking and modern slavery. However, this year it is accompanied with deep concern surrounding the…

29 September 2022

New Education Clinic

In October we will be expanding our legal advice clinics to include free one-off advice about issues around education. Our specialist advisor will be giving 30 minutes’ free initial advice…

7 September 2022

Help with Temporary Accommodation

Thanks to a grant from Trust for London and Oak Foundation, the Law Centre is launching a new Temporary Accommodation project in collaboration with Citizens Advice Croydon as part of…

22 August 2022

Money Advice Team shortlisted in IMA Money Advice Awards 2022

We’re delighted to announce that our Money Advice Team, led by Roni Marsh (pictured above), has been shortlisted for the Debt Team of the Year in the 2022 IMA Money…

11 August 2022

New cost of living project

Following a number of successful pilots we are delighted that the Lottery has agreed to fund a Cost of Living project for three years. Along with support from a number…

3 August 2022

Justice Picnic

30 July was the 73rd anniversary of the Legal Aid and Advice Act. Our CEO Patrick Marples spoke live on Tuesday 2 August on The Big Breakfast Radio Show about…

28 July 2022

Better protection needed for victims of child trafficking

Following on from Sir Mo Farah’s recent revelations, UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July again shines a spotlight on the prevalence of human trafficking and shows…

30 June 2022

The Council Tax energy rebate

To help with rising energy costs and the cost of living crisis, the Government is giving all households in England in Council Tax bands A-D a rebate of £150. If…

16 June 2022

Renters Reform Bill – good news for renters?

The much-awaited government white paper on ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ was published today. It sets out to address some of the issues that private renters all too often face,…

16 June 2022

London Legal Walk 2022

On Tuesday 28 June, we will be joining with around 10,000 people to take part in the 2022 London Legal Walk. We are walking to raise vital funds to enable…

9 June 2022

Extension of ‘right to buy’ will put more pressure on social housing

There are real dangers the government’s plans to boost home ownership through an extension of the right to buy scheme will lead to an even greater shortage of social housing…

1 June 2022

Volunteers’ Week 2022

Volunteers Week takes place from 1 to 7 June each year and is an annual opportunity to recognise the enormous contribution that volunteers make to so many organisations across the…

11 May 2022

10K Walk for Justice

On Monday 9 May, our team joined with around 300 lawyers, caseworkers, volunteers and students from across Surrey to take on the 10K Guildford Legal Walk. The annual event, organised…

28 April 2022

Stress Awareness Month

We know that legal problems can impact other areas of life. Many of our clients tell us they have experienced poorer health and well-being as a result of their legal…

14 April 2022

Deep concern over Government’s proposal for asylum seekers

We join with others in expressing huge concern about the Government’s proposal to send asylum seekers who arrive in the UK by boat from across the Channel to Rwanda on…