LAW CENTRES FEDERATION

Registered charity 1088588 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as LAW CENTRES NETWORK, LCF, LCN

To relieve charitable need and financial hardship, provide assistance to Law Centres and encourage the formation of Law Centres in the United Kingdom. To advance the education of the public by assisting Law Centres in improving knowledge and practice of the law, and administration of justice in areas of the law which are of particular concern to poor people and directed to the relief of poverty.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.1m
Latest spending
£1.1m
Registered
2001
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit on unrestricted funds of £9,467, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £89,432. The trustees note that this level of reserves is below their stated policy target of six months' core service running costs (£177,000), though they consider the current cash position sufficient to meet liabilities for at least one year.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: more than £60,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)
“One employee earned more than £60,000 during the year.” — page 47
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 1
“One employee earned more than £60,000 during the year.” — page 47
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: six month’s core service running costs (held: £89k)
“The Executive Committee agreed that LCN should aim to maintain unrestricted funds equal to six month’s core service running costs. This amounts to £177,000” — page 35
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Goldwins Limited. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Law Centres Network (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£1.1m
Total spending
£1.1m
Cost of raising funds
£38k
Reserves (reported)
£362k
Employees
12

Reported reserves equal ~4.0 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (84% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 3.3% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£1.1m£1.1m
31/03/2024£1.1m£1.1m
31/03/2023£913k£1.1m
31/03/2022£1.1m£1.2m
31/03/2021£4.6m£4.4m

Common questions

Is LAW CENTRES FEDERATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit on unrestricted funds of £9,467, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £89,432. The trustees note that this level of reserves is below their stated policy target of six months' core service running costs (£177,000), though they consider the current cash position sufficient to meet liabilities for at least one year. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Goldwins Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of LAW CENTRES FEDERATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the more than £60,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds LAW CENTRES FEDERATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name LAW CENTRES FEDERATION as a grant recipient include PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION, LONDON LEGAL SUPPORT TRUST, THE LEGAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION, JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION, THE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATIONFY2023£250kBackbone Fund
LONDON LEGAL SUPPORT TRUSTFY2023£229k
THE LEGAL EDUCATION FOUNDATIONFY2024£185kSupporting work to strengthen the capacity of Law Centres within the network, providing practical support to heighten their impact and enhance their sustainabil
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATIONFY2022£145kTowards core costs of their work as the national membership body for Law Centres.
THE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUNDATIONFY2024£140kGrants
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£120k
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£70kHuman Rights (particularly access to justice)
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£50k
THE LEGAL EDUCATION FOUNDATIONFY2023£30kScoping a workforce development framework in Law Centres to help build and sustain a diverse and effective workforce.
THE REED FOUNDATIONFY2022£26kChristmas Challenge
LONDON LEGAL SUPPORT TRUSTFY2021£12k
LONDON LEGAL SUPPORT TRUSTFY2024£10k
THE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUNDATIONFY2023£10kGrants & Donations
THE ALLEN OVERY SHEARMAN STERLING FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k
FARRER AND CO CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£4k
CIVIC POWER FUNDFY2024£1k
ETHEL AND GWYNNE MORGAN TRUSTFY2022£1kRelief of disadvantaged
GOWLING WLG (UK) CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£500
THE REED FOUNDATIONFY2021—

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
A B Charitable Trust13/03/2026£70kA grant to Law Centres Network
The National Lottery Community Fund05/03/2026£20kLaw Centres Market Place
A B Charitable Trust29/04/2025£65kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust06/09/2024£4kA grant to Law Centres Network
The National Lottery Community Fund09/07/2024£20kSolve It Sooner
City Bridge Foundation07/06/2024£473kGrant to Law Centres Federation
A B Charitable Trust23/04/2024£65kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust28/06/2023£55kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust17/06/2022£50kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust20/01/2022£20kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust09/09/2021£50kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust12/11/2020£5kA grant to Law Centres Network
The National Lottery Community Fund08/07/2020£205kLaw Centre Service COVID-19 Service Adaption
A B Charitable Trust07/07/2020£50kA grant to Law Centres Network
A B Charitable Trust23/04/2020£30kA grant to Law Centres Network
UK government01/04/2020£366kLAW CENTRES FEDERATION (G)
A B Charitable Trust02/07/2019£50kA grant to Law Centres Network
The National Lottery Community Fund19/06/2019£494kRealising Law Centres 2020 Digital Vision
A B Charitable Trust24/04/2018£20kA grant to Law Centres Network
City Bridge Foundation21/12/2017£25kGrant to Law Centres Federation
City Bridge Foundation20/03/2017£50kGrant to Law Centres Federation
A B Charitable Trust21/10/2014£15kDevelop Law Centres & Initiate new services
A B Charitable Trust23/04/2013£15kDevelop, champion sustainable, quality Law Centres
The National Lottery Community Fund08/03/2012£10kWidening Access to Justice: Linking Online Resources with Local Legal Advic

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SUFFOLK LAW CENTRE.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
LAW CENTRES FEDERATION£1.1mmore than £60,0001unclear—no doubt
SUFFOLK LAW CENTRE FY2025£328k—0below—no doubt
CENTRAL ENGLAND LAW CENTRE LIMITED FY2025£4.2m——above—no doubt
DERBYSHIRE LAW CENTRE LTD FY2025£1.3m—0unclear—no doubt
HARROW LAW CENTRE FY2025£1.0m—0unclear—no doubt
THE LAW SOCIETY CHARITY FY2025£111k—0unclear—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.