News & Events


Hear from Kate and Madison – our new Solicitors in-training!

Find out what its like to do a Solicitor Training Contract at Derbyshire Law Centre

At the start of 2024 Madison and Kate started their training contracts to become solicitors with the Derbyshire Law Centre. Their training is fully funded and will last two years, covering seats in the different areas of Law that we cover. We asked them a few questions about how they’d reached this point and what they wanted to get from the training period:

Read our latest Annual Report

This year we have helped over 5800 people in Derbyshire with their legal enquiries.

Over the past year Derbyshire residents, like those across the UK, have faced rising costs for life’s essentials. the social and economic impacts of the Cost of Living crisis have sent waves through our local communities and we are seeing an ever increasing demand for legal support in all areas.

Housing Law Training Conference – 10th November

Join us for the Housing Law Training Conference on Friday 10th November

On Friday 10th November we’re hosting a professional development workshop focused on Housing Law. This workshop provides local legal practitioners with the opportunity to gain essential insights on:

  • Updates on Housing Law
  • Current trends and issues
  • New cases and developments
  • Housing Disrepair

Keep our Rail Ticket Offices Open!

Derbyshire Law Centre is working with a collection of Derbyshire based charities to campaign to keep Rail Ticket Offices open. The charity group has written an open letter to Jacqueline Starr, CEO of the Rail Delivery Group outlining the concerns that the closures would have on elderly and disabled users.

The letter calls on the Rail Delivery Group, as well as East Midlands and Northern Rail, to reconsider the plans to close ticket offices and explain what steps they will take to make sure that vulnerable users don’t experience more disadvantage in rail travel. Additionally, it outlines how important physical ticket offices are to people who regularly face disadvantage because of their disability, age and increasing exclusion from the digital world.

How a volunteer became a solicitor!

“Without DLC, I wouldn’t be where I am today”

An interview with a housing solicitor Matthew Brown

Derbyshire Law Centre (DLC) has welcomed Matthew Brown as a new housing solicitor. Matt originally joined  the Law Centre over 5 years ago, starting with a 12-week placement as a volunteer while at university. We interviewed Matt to ask him about what drew him to the Law Centres movement and how he has found his way to becoming a newly qualified solicitor.

Launch of the NEW Housing Repair Support service

On Monday 6th December everyone is invited to attend our launch to celebrate our new exciting service: Housing Repair Support service.

Thanks to generous funding from Bolsover District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, and North East Derbyshire District Council, their residents will be able to get free advice to address disrepairs in their rented homes.

Debt advisers passed with 98%!

Well done to our debt advisers Sue and Sally for passing the latest Debt Advice Peer Assessment with an incredible 98% score!

We are so proud of the quality of debt advice we give our clients at Derbyshire Law Centre.

If you need free, impartial debt advice, then get in touch today.

What a great start – homelessness prevented this morning!

We just wanted to share about an amazing result this morning. As soon our reception was open at 9:30am today was a Council tenant contacted to say that they were being evicted at 11:30am this morning. Matt Brown, a Solicitor, took some instructions from the tenant over the phone before Luke Ridge, a Housing caseworker, dashed off to their house in Derbyshire to check the paperwork. Luke spotted an error and rushed back to Court whilst Matt rang ahead to alert them that we needed to make an application at the last minute.

Housing Legal team passed with flying colours!

Derbyshire Law Centre’s Housing Legal Team have passed their Independent Housing Review of their cases.

The reviewer, commissioned by the Legal Aid Agency said, “Most of the Law Centre’s files demonstrated good, clear, effective, tailored advice and casework. Where appropriate, advisors were prepared to attend local authority possession/tenancy review hearings and attend court under the representation at court scheme”.