This page has contact details for some of the best Legal Aid Solicitors in Colchester.
Sparling Benham & Brough
Company History
- Regulation and Registration
Sparling Benham & Brough is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), under SRA number 55639. They are authorised to provide all legal services, including reserved legal activities. - Authorisation date / Firm establishment
The firm was authorised on 1 November 2011.
While that authorisation date is one key marker, public sources do not clearly describe exactly when the firm was originally founded in its present name or all predecessor names. It appears the “Sparlings” brand is well-established in Colchester and the surrounding region. - Scope of operations and reputation
The firm has 3 offices: in Colchester (head office), Manningtree, and Frinton-on-Sea.
They cover a broad range of legal work: family law and child care, wills, trusts & probate, private client work, conveyancing (residential and commercial), dispute resolution, employment law, personal injury, medical negligence, landlord & tenant, commercial & residential property, litigation, licensing, taxation, and more.
The firm holds various accreditations:- Children Panel Accreditation (Children representative)
- Family Law Accreditation Scheme membership
- Family Mediation Accreditation (General member)
- Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme membership
- Lexcel accreditation (quality standard)
- Local presence and reviews
The Colchester office is well rated in client reviews, with a strong reputation for communication, professionalism, and value.
Legal Aid Services They Offer
Sparling Benham & Brough provide legal aid / publicly funded legal services in certain areas, subject to the usual eligibility tests (scope of law, financial means, merits). Here are details based on available information:
- Their Colchester office is listed as offering Legal Aid among its facilities and services.
- Family Legal Aid:
They provide legal aid for those family-law public law cases that remain in scope after the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. These include:- Public law children proceedings (where the local authority / Social Services is involved)
- Protective injunctions in circumstances of domestic violence or forced marriage
- Proceedings concerning the unlawful removal of a child (from or within the UK)
- Fixed Fee Interviews: The firm offers fixed-fee interviews for clients where legal aid may not apply or for certain preliminary work.
- Other Areas: Because of the firm’s broad practice areas, in some cases legal aid may also be available for children law, welfare benefits, perhaps advocacy or litigation in family / children matters where permitted. However, many types of work (private family financial disputes etc.) will not be covered by legal aid. The firm’s website and sources make clear that only the “still in scope” family legal aid work is offered.
- Eligibility and Limitations: As with all legal aid providers, clients must satisfy eligibility criteria: the case must be in a category of law still covered by legal aid; the client must pass financial means and merits / necessity tests. Not all family law work is eligible; legal aid for family law has been severely restricted under the 2012 Act. The firm gives guidance on their website to help prospective clients understand whether legal aid might apply in their specific case.
Address:
St Runwalds
3 West Stockwell Street
Colchester
Essex
CO1 1HQ
www.sparlings.co.uk
Tel: 01206 733 733
Fisher Jones Greenwood Llp
23 Southway
Colchester
CO2 7BA
Tel: 01206 217 595
www.fjg.co.uk
John Fowlers LLP
Town Hall Chambers
St Runwald Street
Colchester
CO1 1DS
Tel: 01206 576151
www.johnfowlers.co.uk
Pleass Thomson & Co
1 Ladysmith Avenue
Colchester
CO7 0JB
Tel: 01206 307454
www.pleassthomson.co.uk