London Legal Support Trust

London Legal Support Trust (LLST), an independent charity founded in 2003 by legal sector leaders, champions equal access to justice by funding free, specialist legal advice for London's poor and disadvantaged residents, plus those in the Home Counties. Born from declining public funding for advice agencies, LLST's mission emphasises fairness, social justice, and vulnerability support through its innovative "Grants Plus" model—combining grants with capacity-building, pro bono services, and sector convening—while adhering to flexible, low-bureaucracy principles like IVAR standards.

It prioritises front-line providers like Citizens Advice bureaux, law centres, and specialist agencies delivering advice on urgent civil issues: homelessness, housing insecurity, debt, welfare benefits, immigration, domestic violence, and employment disputes. Funding sustains core costs, projects, networks (e.g., London Citizens Advice Partnership), and infrastructure like Centres of Excellence, targeting those facing poverty, discrimination, or marginalisation to prevent problem escalation and ease justice system pressures.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities serving beneficiaries in London or the Home Counties, with a preference for small- to medium-sized organisations (typically under £1m income) demonstrating high-quality, free advice to the financially needy; no strict income thresholds apply. Typical grants range £1,000–£25,000 (small grants up to £5,000), supporting core/project costs unrestricted or tied.

Unsolicited applications via online form are accepted rolling, with quarterly trustee decisions (6-8 week timeline); no fixed deadlines. LLST excludes non-legal advice, out-of-area beneficiaries, or unproven free services, standing out for its legal expertise, sector relationships, and strategic sustainability focus amid crises like cost-of-living pressures.