The Midland legal Support Trust has announced a new grants round with applications being accepted from now until 5pm 7th October 2016.

The Trust is particularly interested in supporting agencies and organisations with a focus on providing legal advice to the most vulnerable in society. Grants of up to £5000 will typically be awarded and the Trust will provide grants for one-off projects, items of expenditure or core costs.

Please see our Current Round page for more details (including how to apply) and email enquiries@mlst.org.uk if you have any questions.

The rain stopped just in time on Monday 20 June for 101 members of the legal profession who embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Leicester and the Midlands. The route took in the lovely sights the city has to offer and the weather was light and breezy, a perfect day to walk and raise money for a vital cause.
 
We had a grand total of 17 teams signed up with the biggest teams on the day coming from Lawson West Solicitors and Emery Johnson Astills!
 
A big congratulations goes out to Lawson West Solicitors who topped the fundraising table having raised over £600! This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to their team who pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
We were joined by Citizens Advice LeicesterShire who are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances and find themselves unable to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Leicester Legal Walk, and the MLST as a whole, will go to support Citizens Advice as well as other charities throughout the region, helping thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £2,500 far. Without your contribution the Leicester Legal Walk and the work of the MLST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before. 

It was a beautifully warm evening on Monday 6 June for 352 members of the legal profession who embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Birmingham and the West Midlands. The route took in the lovely sights the city has to offer, including the less well known parts of the city, and the weather was warm and sunny, a perfect early summer day to walk and raise money for a vital cause.
 
We had a grand total of 50 teams signed up with the biggest teams on the day coming from Gowling WLG and Irwin Mitchell!
 
A big congratulations goes out to the Birmingham Peoples Centre, who topped the fundraising table having raised over £1,170! This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to our team who pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
We were joined by many charities, including ​ASIRT (Asylum Support and Immigration Resource Team), Bar Pro Bono Unit, Birmingham City University Law School - Pro Bono Unit, Birmingham People's Centre, BRADICAL Employment Rights, Central England Law Centre, CLOCK (Community Legal Outreach Collaboration Keele), Hope Projects, Personal Support Unit, and the University of Wolverhampton Legal Advice Centre. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances and find themselves unable to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Birmingham Legal Walk, and the MLST as a whole, will go to support these charities and more, throughout the region helping thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
This event was supported by our generous sponsors, No 5 Chambers, Wesleyan, University of Law and St. Phillips Barristers, and the event supporters Hands on at Work and Birmingham Law Society. The University of Law also provided  some delicious cupcakes as a mid-walk snack! The walkers were also welcomed to a finish line reception; a perfect end to a great walk and the drinks were very well received by our thirsty walkers.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £16,200 so far! Without your contribution the Birmingham Legal Walk and the work of the MLST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before.

It was a fantastic sunny day on Monday 25 April for 102 members of the legal profession who embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Northampton. The route took in the lovely sights the city has to offer, including the less well known parts of the city, and the weather was sunny and bright, a perfect spring day to walk and raise money for a vital cause.
 
We had a grand total of 10 teams signed up with the biggest teams on the day coming from Shoosmiths and the University of Northampton Law Society!
 
A big congratulations goes out to Shoosmiths, who topped the fundraising table having raised over £1,130! This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to our team who pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
We were joined by two charities, Central and East Northamptonshire Citizens Advice​ and Age UK Northamptonshire. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances and find themselves unable to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Northampton Legal Walk, and the MLST as a whole, will go to support these charities and more, throughout the region helping thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
This event was supported by our generous sponsors, Hewitsons, who sponsored the welcoming finish line reception, which was a perfect end to a great walk and the drinks were very well received by our thirsty walkers.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £3,160 so far. Without your contribution the Northampton Legal Walk and the work of the MLST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before.
​

It was a fantastic sunny day on Monday 9 May for 222 members of the legal profession who embarked on a 10 km challenge and raised funds to support access to justice in Nottingham. The route took in the lovely sights the city has to offer, including the less well known parts of the city, and the weather was sunny and warm, a perfect spring day to walk and raise money for a vital cause.
 
We had a grand total of 26 teams signed up with the biggest teams on the day coming from Browne Jacobson and Broxtowe CAB (Eastwood)! 
 
A big congratulations goes out to Nottingham Law Centre, who topped the fundraising table having raised over £1,070! This is a huge achievement and we are very grateful to our team who pulled out all the stops to raise as much money as possible to support access to justice.
 
We were joined by several charities, Nottingham Law School's Legal Advice Centre, Nottingham Law Centre, Disability Nottinghamshire, Citizens Advice Broxtowe (Eastwood)​ and Citizens Advice Broxtowe (Beeston). These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances and find themselves unable to pay for private legal advice. The funds raised by the Nottingham Legal Walk, and the MLST as a whole, will go to support these charities and more, throughout the region helping thousands of people every year navigate the complicated legal system.
 
The ended with a welcoming finish line reception, which was a perfect end to a great walk and the drinks were very well received by our thirsty walkers.
 
The walk has broken all previous records, raising over £6,100 so far. Without your contribution the Nottingham Legal Walk and the work of the MLST would not be possible.
 
Please continue to fundraise and ensure that we can help more vital services than ever before.

On Monday 25 April, just over 100 lawyers, advisors and other legal professionals joined forces for a sponsored walk around the riverfront sights of Northampton to raise over £3,100 to support free legal advice in Northampton and throughout the Midlands.
 
Under the banner ‘Supporting access to justice in the Midlands’ 10 teams of walkers from law firms, barristers' chambers as well as the voluntary and advice sector came together to raise funds for the Midland Legal Support Trust (MLST) and other local free legal advice charities. Walkers were joined by the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Caroline Brocklehurst along with seven senior members of the local Judiciary.
 
The 10km route took in the lovely river sights the city had to offer, with many walkers remarking they saw a side to the city they hadn’t seen before. The weather was bright and breezy; a perfect spring day to stride out and raise money for a vital cause.
 
Walkers taking part fundraised for the cause by seeking sponsorship and in addition to this the event was supported by sponsors; Junior Lawyers of Northants & Bucks and Northamptonshire Law Society who, along with Hewistons sponsored the welcoming finishing line reception, at the Elgin House, gratefully received by thirsty walkers.
 
Alongside some well-deserved refreshments walkers were welcomed back by the lead walkers who spoke about the growing importance of continuing free legal advice and support for the free legal advice sector and individuals who rely on their services.

The event is run by the Midland Legal Support Trust (MLST). The MLST was formed in 2010 to raise and distribute funds to support the provision of free legal advice in Northampton and throughout the Midlands to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it. It is part of a network of Legal Support Trusts, working with the Access to Justice Foundaton, to facilitate the access to specialist legal advice for the poorest and most vulnerable people in the community.
 
The organisations supported by the event make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to civil legal aid have not only affected the legal profession, but have also drastically impacted the services provided to members of the public.
 
The Central and East Northamptonshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is a local charity which provides a range of free legal advice and support in and around Northampton to some of the city’s most vulnerable citizens who often seek their services as a desperate last resort. By participating in the Northampton Legal Walk, the CAB were able to fundraise directly to support their work, to show their support, the MLST will be match funding any donations made to the CAB fundraising team.
 
Cuts to legal aid and local government funding of advice services means charities such as these are fighting to survive. Some organisations have merged, meaning already tight resources are being stretched over greater distances, but more frequently, others have ceased to provide services altogether.
 
A representative from the MLST said “We are truly delighted that the Northhampton Legal Walk has had a record breaking year with more people coming out to support access to justice for the most vulnerable and more funds being raised to support the vital services when help these people in their time of need. Thanks to all our walkers, supporters and sponsors the MLST will be able to make more and larger grants than ever before, ensuring local services benefit from local support."

​It is time to lace up those walking shoes as the Birmingham Legal Walk is fast approaching. If you would like to take part, there is still time for you to join us by registering here.

We currently have 45 teams signed up and a total of 324 walkers, with our biggest teams coming from Gowling WLG and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, all raising vital funds to support access to advice for all. 

Top of the fundraising table is the wonderful Birmingham People's Centre team who have so far raised a fantastic £866! This is a fantastic achievement and a hugely important part of making this year's Birmingham Legal Walk bigger and better than ever before. 

So far, the walk has raised just under £3600 altogether. This is a great start but we still need everyone to continue fundraising as much as possible to support local advice charities. 

The charities supported by the Birmingham Legal Walk help thousands of people every year gain proper access to justice. These charities are often the last resort for people facing difficult and distressing legal circumstances but without resources to pay for private legal advice. Without this charitable work, many vulnerable people would be left alone to navigate the court and justice system without any advice or support. 

We're proud to have seven charities walking with us on Monday the 6th, ​ASIRT (Asylum Support and Immigration Resource Team), Birmingham People's Centre, BRADICAL Employment Rights, Central England Law Centre, Hope Projects, Personal Support Unit and the University of Wolverhampton Legal Advice Centre. Please help us to continue to support the vital work they do in the local community by raising as much as you can in the Birmingham Legal Walk. 

It looks set to be a fantastic evening. A reminder that event registration on the day is open from 5 pm with the walk starting at 5:30 pm. A celebratory drink will be waiting for you at the finish line. 

A big thank you to our wonderful supporters, Birmingham Law Society, Hands On At Work, and 68 Kafe, and our sponsors No 5 Chambers who are supporting and promoting our event. As we need sponsorship in order to be able to continue running our legal walk events, their support is invaluable and key to continuing the work of the Midland Legal Support Trust.

We are very excited to see all of you on Monday 6th of June. The event would not be possible without your contribution.

​The Leicester Legal Walk cannot come fast enough and as the days speed by, the number of walkers continues to grow! We now have 9 teams and over 50 walkers committed to walking, running and sweating to support local advice agencies in their mission to ensure access to justice for all.

So far, Lawson West Solicitors is leading in numbers with 24 walkers, if each their team members raised £30, they would beat their fundraising target of £500, so please do sponsor them. 

Smith Partnership, DG Legal and Greyfriars Solicitors must be following out fundraising tips to the letter! They are all tied for the top fundraising spot and we hope you can continue to keep it rising! 

We are expecting a nice warm weather on June 20th to help our walkers enjoy their 10 km challenge. And to celebrate the finish line, there will be drinks provided for everyone, cheers!

We're very excited to see you all there!

​We are really excited about the Leicester Legal Walk coming up in just 4 short weeks on Monday, June 20th. We already have 6 teams signed up and ready to walk and raise funds to support access to advice for all. We are proud to have Lord Bach of Butterworth; Professor Surinder Sharma, the High Sheriff of Leicestershire; and Gail Whyte, the President of Leicestershire JLD, as our legal walkers. 

The Midland Legal Support Trust has been established to support the provision of free legal advice in Midlands region since 2010, and the Leicester Legal Walk is an important part of our fundraising activities. The organisations we support make a huge difference in the lives of many people. The recent cuts to legal aid and the reduced household income for many working families due to the recession have increased the importance of free access to specialist legal advice for the poorest and most vulnerable people in our community. 

Registration for the event will open from 5 pm with the walk starting at 5:30 pm. About two hours later, walkers cross the finish line where refreshments will be provided, and gratefully received by thirsty walkers. 

We would like to get as many people involved as possible, so gather your co-workers, friends, family, and why not dogs, to join us for an evening of walking and having fun while raising vital funds for legal advice agencies!