the citizen lawyer – The Citizen Lawyer

Working hard to help ordinary people protect and enforce their legal rights.

A qualified legal expert providing a professional legal service to those that want to know their legal rights and if required, take action themselves in dealing with everyday legal issues.

For those that do not qualify for legal aid or have the financial resources to appoint solicitors or lawyers to represent them, we aim to give you the information, tools, guidance and support to take action yourself.

We believe that everyone has the right to Justice and should not accept 'just is' simply because they are unsure of what to do or how to do it.

Contact us today to find out if you have a case and what action you can take for a fixed fee of just £47.00, a fraction of the cost that you would be required to pay on the high street.

Do You Need Legal Advice or Help Understanding Your Rights?

Don't hesitate to contact the Citizen Lawyer. We have helped many people in the same situations as you're probably in. We try to respond as quickly as possible and ask that you respect the volume of questions we receive on a daily basis. Some of our advice is free, however, we apply a small fixed fee of £47 for our legal "Ask a Question" service. The answers may be received as either an emailed response or a 30 minute scheduled consultation, the choice is yours. The good news is that you know exactly how much the fee will be and that the answers you receive are professionally accurate legal advice. We hope to hear from you soon.

The Process

Submit Your Question Receive Confirmation and Fixed Fee Invoice

Pay a One-Off Fixed Fee Invoice of £47 using Secure PayPal

Receive Your Answer within 24 hours

Ask a Question

Please provide as much detail as you can to help us answer your question efficiently as possible.

By submitting your question you are agreeing to our terms and will be subject to a £47 one-off consultation fee, that will be invoiced by return.

Goods & Services

Know what your consumer rights are and how to enforce them if you have a problem when shopping on the high street, online, or with utilities or telecoms providers.

Cars & Motoring

We can advise you of your legal rights when buying a car, getting it repaired or serviced. Advise you if you will be successful in challenging a parking fine or parking charge notice and how to do it

Social Welfare

Have you been declined benefits or had sanctions imposed unfairly? We can assess your case and advise you how to escalate a complaint or appeal a decision made by the Department of Work and Pensions.

Health Law

Have you been given an incorrect diagnosis or think that you, or someone else, has been the victim of clinical negligence? We can assess your case and advise you what action you can take to bring a complaint against the health provider or if necessary, file a claim for personal injury and compensation.

Employment Law

Contact us if you need advice about redundancy, dismissal, employment tribunal, grievances, discrimination, bullying & harassment, furlough, or implementation of a vaccine deployment policy in the workplace.

Motoring Fines & Convictions

Most motoring offences such as speeding, or traffic violations are strict liability offences. If you have been fined or awarded points as a result of a motoring offence that you believe has been issued unfairly or in error, contact us, to find out if you can challenge the decision or get it reversed.

Debt & Enforcement

Are you worried about debt or been contacted by a debt enforcement agency? We can advise you of your legal rights and confirm what a bailiff/debt enforcement officers can or cannot do when requesting payment on behalf of a third party.

Vaccine Damage Payment

Have you or a dependent experienced serious side effects and been left severely disabled as a result of vaccination? In specific cases individuals may be able to claim a vaccine damage payment, a one-off tax-free payment of £120.000.

Landlord & Tenancy

We are able to offer comprehensive advice to landlords & tenants regarding contracts, evictions, neighbour disputes, anti-social behaviour & noise pollution.

Travel

With travel requirements changing constantly due to government guidelines and restrictions many people are being forced to cancel or postpone travel plans. Find out when you are entitled to a refund, compensation and how to request this

Removal of CCJ's

If you believe that a CCJ has been issued to you in error or unfairly you may be able to take action to get the CCJ set aside or removed from your credit file. We can advise you whether you have grounds to do so and if so, how to act by court to do so.

Small Claims Court

If you are owed less than £25,000 from a company or individual and have been unsuccessful claiming payment, you may be able to bring a claim through the small claims court. We can assess you case to advise you whether your claim is valid and if so, the process you need to take in order to recover monies owed.

The Legal Process

Most disputes or legal issues are resolved quickly by simply following existing complaints process or escalating matters to the appropriate ombudsman however there will, of course, be more complex situations that may only be resolved with court intervention. The cost and complexity of bringing a claim to court can put many people off pursuing the right course of action, but it shouldn’t, access to justice is a right for all. The aim of The Citizen Lawyer is to educate, advise and enable others to become citizen lawyers, ordinary people acting for themselves, claiming the justice to which they are entitled and deserve.

Litigant in Person

Access to Justice is a citizen right however for those unable to afford legal advice or representation, for many, possibilities of justice is denied, it Just is! The Citizen Lawyer aims to rectify this and provide UK citizens with the knowledge, tools, and support to act themselves. Following cuts to the state provision of legal aid in 2013, there has been a huge rise in the numbers of people either denied access to justice or forced to represent themselves in proceedings as a litigant in person.

What is a litigant in person?

A Litigant in Person is an individual, company, or organisation who acts on their own (without legal representation) to settle a legal matter or dispute.

In England and Wales, a litigant in person is described in the Civil Procedure Rules as:

“a company or other corporation which is acting without a legal representative: and any of the following who acts in person (except where any such person is represented by a firm in which that person is a partner) (i) a barrister; (ii) a solicitor; (iii) a solicitors employee (iv) a manager of a body recognised under section 9 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985; or (v) a person, who, for the purposes of the 2007 Act, is an authorised person in relation to an activity which constitutes the conduct of litigation (within the meaning if that Act)” – CPR 46.5.

Does a court treat a litigant in person more favorably as they are not legally trained?

The short answer is NO. In the recent case of Barton v Wright Hassell [2018] it was made clear that litigants in person are expected to have knowledge of and comply with court procedure and rules.

It is therefore extremely important that people who represent themselves understand the law, Pre-Action protocols and the Civil Procedure Rules. This requirement can be daunting and complex and will put many people off acting, even when they have a watertight case that is likely to succeed, but it shouldn’t, that is where The Citizen Lawyer can help.

What do I need to do to find out I have a claim?

In the first instance, you can find out by asking the question, paying a one-off, set fee of £47.50. In response to your enquiry, you will receive a case analysis report which will

Define your legal issue
Identify the applicable law/regulation/rules relevant to your case.
Apply the legal rules to your particular circumstances
Provide you with an answer that advises whether you have a case and if so, what actions you can take to seek a resolution to remedy the issue.

What if I do have a case?

The citizen lawyer will be available to offer you the guidance and support to help you take the actions required to resolve your issue. Every case is different, our legal support service is tailored to meet your individual needs. We can offer guidance and administrative support in bringing the claim and help you to recover costs and expenses incurred if your claim is successful.

Testimonials

I never thought that I even stood a chance against a big corporation! While I don't want to mention the legal issues I faced, I was astounded when I won! I can 100% recommend the Citizen Lawyer if you need help, no matter what your case.

There are law firms and there is the Citizen Lawyer. It proved to me that size isn't everything, but they are the best for sure. No matter what legal issues I have thrown at 'em, they have dealt with them in the best way possible.

I was facing CCJ's, I was unfairly dismissed from my job and was about to be evicted!, without the help and advice of the Citizen Lawyer, I'd be homeless. Hand on heart, if you ever have an employment tribunal case, you want them in your corner.

Who would think that parking fines and congestion charges could get so out of hand, especially when someone else borrowed your vehicle! the Citizen Lawyer sorted everything out, cleared my name, and restored my faith in the law. I have a lot to thank them for.

“with the right support, I felt confident that I understood the court process, and everything went smoothly, I was delighted when I won my claim and managed to recover all of my costs”.

” huge thanks to the citizen lawyer for drafting a letter of complaint and helping me get my refund back from a holiday company that until then, had just ignored me. It was a huge relief to get it sorted and well worth the small cost in comparison to the amount of money I got back, worth every penny. ”

Philosophy

All too often when legal issues crop up, people are left wondering what to do, unsure of their legal rights or what the options are available to them, many end up paying extortionate fees to High street lawyers or solicitors just to find out, others avoid doing so due to the cost. The Citizen lawyer was established to give citizens an alternative choice, to find out what they can do to act to resolve their legal issues themselves at a fraction of the cost. Access to Justice is a right for all. The aim of The Citizen Lawyer is to educate, support and help others who take action to become citizen lawyers themselves, our philosophy is simple - Power to the people!

Approach

Whether you are in dispute, feel backed into a corner, or are overwhelmed by legalese and mountains of illegible paperwork, our service starts with the first and most important question?... Do you need help?

Contact the Citizen Lawyer today, simply explain your legal predicament, and we will do our very best you help, guide, and advise you.

Why Us?

There are many law firms, but not everybody can afford the substancial legal fees associated with finding out where you have a case or not? We respect our clients and they respect us, our no-nonsense standard flat fee approach is affordable and easy to understand. We take the stress out of the legal process and provide you what you need to help you move forward.

“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”

― Voltaire

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I have been issued a parking fine for parking in a private car park, I did not see any signs to say it was a pay and display site, should I just pay it and dispute it afterwards?

A: No, you should not pay the fine if you wish to appeal it. If suitable signs were not clearly visible at the site informing you of the terms and conditions and the applicable charges you have sufficient grounds for appeal. You must submit your appeal to the parking provider before the deadline specified on the notice, if your appeal is rejected you have the right to escalate your appeal to relevant parking ombudsman. If you would like us to raise the appeal on your behalf, please contact us on support@thecitizenlawyer.co.uk.

Q: My son has been issued with a £2500 bill for damage allegedly caused to a fire door in his halls of residence at university although the university has not provided any evidence to confirm it was him that caused the damage, they have told him if he does not agree to pay, they will call the police and get him prosecuted for criminal damage, should I pay?

A: There are a number of different issues here. If your son has not admitted liability, then the burden is on the university accommodation provider to declare the evidence on which their assumption is based, can they provide CCTV footage or witness statements confirming what happened, when and by whom? Unless this clearly establishes your son is solely responsible for damage caused, he can refuse to accept liability. On the second point, if the University thought that an act of criminal damage had occurred that warranted your son being arrested and charged, they should have contacted the police immediately. The police could investigate and pass the matter to the CPS, who are authorised to decide to bring a prosecution against him or not. As this would be a criminal not a civil offence the University have no legal authority to decide if an individual can be prosecuted, any attempt to make your son believe otherwise could be considered coercion, a way of getting him to agree to pay the charge for damages rather than risk a criminal conviction and potential exclusion from University. You should raise a complaint immediately to the university regarding the use of these underhand tactics and refuse to pay the bill, unless sufficient evidence is provided that proves your son is liable. Even if provided you may be able to dispute the amount requested and ask for the option to request quotes from independent contractors for remedial works to ensure the amount you are being asked to pay is fair and proportionate. If you would like us to draft a letter of complaint for you, please contact us on support@thecitizenlawyer.co.uk.

Q: I have received a water bill requesting payment of a bill for £2116.32 for an address I have not lived at for eight years, when I contacted the water company and told them they reissued the bill to my current address and claimed the charges were for last year, when I refused to pay it, they took me to court and have got a CCJ issued against me, what can I do?

A: After reviewing your case I can see that the original bill that was being chased, (whether you owed the amount or not), now falls outside the statute of limitations. A creditor cannot demand payment for a bill that is over six years old and cannot enforce payment if you have made any payments towards clearing the debt in that time. What appears to have happened is that the water company were attempting to re issue the bill (illegally) within the six-year date period and therefore make it appear to a court to be a valid debt that was owed, payment enforceable. As it can clearly be evidenced that this is the case you can write to the water company to ask them to consider setting aside the debt. If the water company does not respond or agree to your request within 7 days you would then need to apply to the court, paying the fee of £255 and complete form N244, requesting to have the CCJ Set aside, and the default removed from your credit file. If you would like us to draft a letter to the water company or submit a court application for you, please contact us on support@thecitizenlawyer.co.uk.

Statistics

During our years of experience, we feel really proud of what we have managed in the UK & Ireland, helping real people with real problems. Yes, we treat our clients like people and they seem to like it.

92% of clients report they were happy with the answer and service they received from The Citizen Lawyer

78% would recommend the service to others.

96% of customers received the answer to their question within 24 hours.

support@thecitizenlawyer.com