The Joint Armed Forces Legal Advocacy Service

Welcome to JAFLAS!

Make sure your speakers are on if you have them attached.

This is the home of the Joint Armed Forces Legal Advocacy Service - the national free legal advice and representation service available to the ex-service community and those with learning disabilities and mental health disabilities.

You don’t have to have worn a uniform to get help!

As the UK's only completely free legal advice and advocacy service, we provide free advice and case evaluation and advocacy on all service, education/children and mental health/learning disability areas of law or those things which affect children, armed service personnel or veterans or those affected by mental health.

As fully qualified lawyers, we can assist in giving advice, evaluating your prospects of success or by signposting to other agencies who can help, as well as of course, taking your case further.

Email for information enquiries@jaflas.co.uk

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When you talk to us you get one to one attention and advice based on your circumstances, impartially and without obligation.

We work with clients like you because we know you have reached the end of the road looking for help you can afford. We are completely free and completely confidential; we are not influenced or funded by anyone and can act for you alone.

Will it be you?

Will you be the client who takes our hardship debt write off balance over the Four Million Pound limit? See our hardship debt write off page for further details.

When you need help fast, we offer a 24hr emergency service and can speak with you wherever you are in the UK, all on a local rate number.

We provide telephone advice and read your case papers, we then suggest the most appropriate route to dealing with your problem and this might be a referral to a solicitor who works for free or a legal practice offering free legal representation.  On occasion we might draft or redraft your particulars or suggest ways of bringing or defending your case. 

It should not be assumed that we will represent you as we are very limited in our availability, we will however give you the best solution for your problem on the most cost effective basis for you.  There may be court fees to pay or you may be able to seek remission (a reduction in the total cost of the fees) or exemption (full remission) if you are receiving certain benefits.

Please use the Online Request for Help link at the top of this page to make an online request. If your request is an emergency please use our pager service (details on contact page).

The areas of law we specialise in: -  

v Debt Counselling and Free Independent Financial Advice

v Hardship Debt Write Off

v Mental Health Advocacy - Crisis Advocacy and Representation

v Children and Education Appeals and Hearings including SEN and Statements

v Deputyship and Advice to Attorneys

v Social Care Reviews Appeals and Judicial Review

v Serving Forces Personnel and Ex-service Advice and Representation

v Welfare Benefit Appeals

v General Litigation in all areas of law

v Magistrates Court-County Court-High Court-Court of Protection.

v Military Tribunals and Courts Marshal

v Coroners Inquests and Public Enquiries

v Military Personnel Grievance Procedure and Tribunals

v Employment Law and associated benefits

v Succession planning, wills, tax planning and trusts

v Enduring and Lasting Powers of Attorney (as well as registration)

v Planning, neighbour disputes and nuisance

v Medical Law and Patient rights, complaints and negligence matters

v Housing, housing benefit, appeals, eviction protection

v Housing debt and council tax

v A listening ear, impartial advice or signposting to service providers

 Our services are only available to: - 

ü  Children (including their parents and legal guardians on behalf of the child) 

ü  Serving or ex-service armed forces personnel, if you wore or wear a uniform, try us, even when the Legion have turned you down because if there is a uniform in the family we will always help. We have no minimum service requirement nor do you have to have been in hostilities.

ü  Mental Health Service users or those with Learning Disabilities (or those connected with a service user or disabled person.)

ü  The physically disabled.

ü  Gay, lesbian or trans-gender clients or where sex/orientation or race discrimination is an issue or where it affects you even if it isn't directly involved in your case. (where it is or is not directly an issue)

ü  The old or infirm (meaning the retired or those who should be).

ü  The very poor, those who are on income support or DLA or Pension Credit.

ü  We also accept referrals from the mining, nursing and voluntary sectors.

ü  If you are a volunteer we may be able to help

So if you are not in one of the above groups we advise going to a Law Centre, speak to the Law Centres Federation or look in your phone book.

Licensed and Regulated by The Office of Fair Trading under a Class E2 Licence (Not for profit sector). Regulated by The Law Society, The Institute of Legal Executives and The Solicitors Regulation Authority as well as Royal Colleges and Societies where appropriate.

YOU WILL NEVER BE ASKED FOR FEES TO COVER OUR WORK. WE DO NOT USE CONDITIONAL FEE AGREEMENTS NOR DO WE USE NO WIN NO FEE SCHEMES. WE ARE A GENUINE FREE SERVICE. If we win in court we ask for costs and use them for our overheads.  (When we say 'free'  that means we will never ask you for money and we don't get money from anywhere else either, you are of course free to join the site or ask us for further information informally first.)

Help for our Disabled Visitors

Our site supports audio loop, large print, zoom and mouse only controls. These pages are also written for Claroread, Easy-Speaking and other type-talk programs.

You can zoom in and out with your browser buttons as well 

To zoom in using Windows XL or Vista simply use 'crtl' and '+' and '-' to zoom in and out.

All the pages where user input is necessary work well with voice activation and dictation software.

Please ask us if we can do anything more to help you. 

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