London holds more courts than any city in Britain — 47 court and tribunal venues in the official finder, from the Old Bailey and the Royal Courts of Justice down to the borough magistrates' courts where most cases actually start — plus the UK's densest network of law centres and free advice services. The problem is knowing which door is yours. Call our line any hour and an AI legal assistant trained on the law of England and Wales explains where you stand and where your case goes — free, unlimited questions, 24/7. Legal information, not legal advice; no solicitor-client relationship. A one-hour consultation with an expert solicitor is a fixed £145, bookable on the call.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across London.
Call any hour and tell our AI legal assistant what's happening — arrested overnight, a possession claim, a dismissal in the City, a family crisis — and get clear legal information for London specifically: your rights under the law of England and Wales, the procedure, the deadlines, and which of the capital's courts actually handles a case like yours. The service is free, 24/7, unlimited questions; it's legal information rather than legal advice on your specific case, and no solicitor-client relationship arises. Arrested in London: the duty solicitor is free at every police station — Met or City of London force alike — no means test, and interview generally waits until you've had the advice. When you want your own lawyer, a one-hour consultation with an expert solicitor is a fixed £145, booked while you're on the line.
More Londoners lose time to the wrong-court problem than almost any legal error: the capital lists 47 court and tribunal venues, several have moved (the County Court at Central London now sits inside the Royal Courts of Justice complex; the East London tribunal centre is temporarily closed; employment hearings run from Newgate Street), and stale directories still point at the old addresses. The routing rules are knowable: criminal cases start at the magistrates' court linked to the borough of arrest; possession claims go to the county court for the property's postcode; employment claims are allocated between the two London tribunal offices; family cases follow the child's or applicant's area. Our line does this routing on every London call — the law first, then where it happens — so you arrive at the right building with the right deadline in hand.
London's free-help network is the deepest in the UK — but it's postcode-organised and demand-swamped, so knowing the right door matters. These are the verified anchors.
Wherever you are in London, the line is free and answered 24/7 — including:
I've been arrested in London — which court will I end up in, and what should I do now?
Now: ask for the duty solicitor — free at every London police station, Met or City of London Police alike, no means test, and interview generally waits until you've had the advice. Court, if it comes to that: every case starts at a magistrates' court (Westminster, Highbury Corner, Thames, Bromley and the rest, by borough), and only the serious ones go up to a Crown Court — Southwark, Snaresbrook, Inner London, or the Old Bailey for the gravest. Our criminal guide for England and Wales covers interview, charge, bail and both court tiers.
Where do London eviction and housing cases go?
Possession claims go to the county court for the property's area — the County Court at Central London (now housed in the Royal Courts of Justice's Thomas More Building) for much of inner London, borough county courts elsewhere — with a free duty adviser at possession hearings. The law is England's rewritten 2026 regime: section 21 abolished, evictions grounds-only, deposit and compliance gates that decide cases. Rent and leasehold disputes go to the Property Chamber tribunal instead. Start with our England housing guide, then call for your specific position.
How do I bring an employment claim in London?
Free, but on a clock: ACAS early conciliation first (mandatory), generally started within three months of the dismissal or deduction — six months for acts from 1 October 2026 — then the tribunal claim. London's hearings run through the London Tribunals Centre on Newgate Street EC1 and the London South office in Croydon; the East London centre is temporarily closed as at August 2026. No tribunal fees; costs orders are rare. The GB employment guide carries the 2027 changes — the six-month unfair-dismissal threshold and the cap abolition — that will reshape claims.
What actually is the Old Bailey?
Formally the Central Criminal Court — "Old Bailey" is the street it stands on, EC4M 7EH — and it's London's Crown Court for the most serious cases: murder, terrorism, the heaviest frauds, cases of national significance. It is not where ordinary cases go; those run through the borough magistrates' courts and the other nine London Crown Court centres. If your case is listed there, the stakes are serious and representation is essential — legal aid covers Crown Court defence for most people, means-tested with contributions.
Is there genuinely free legal help in London, given how stretched everything is?
Yes — more than anywhere in the UK, if you find the right door: the duty solicitor at every police station, RCJ Advice at the Royal Courts, more than a dozen borough law centres, Support Through Court at the RCJ and Central Family Court, university clinics like UCL's in Stratford, borough Citizens Advice offices, the free possession-hearing duty scheme, free small-claims mediation, and fee-free employment tribunals. Demand is real and waiting lists exist — which is why our line, free and 24/7, exists to route you to the right one first time.
Which London court handles money claims and debt?
By size and subject. Most money claims issue online and route to the county court — small claims to £10,000 (free compulsory mediation for defended cases), fast and multi-track above — with the County Court at Central London taking much of the capital's larger list. Big commercial disputes go to the Rolls Building on Fetter Lane, home of the Business and Property Courts. Being chased: fourteen days to respond to a claim form, six-year limitation on most debts, and the Breathing Space scheme can freeze enforcement for 60 days. The civil guide covers both sides.
From magistrates' lists across the boroughs to possession hearings, tribunal claims and family work, our 24/7 line meets Londoners at the moment they need advice — and books them into £145 fixed-fee consultations. If you practise in London and want pre-triaged, paying clients in your field, we'd like to hear from you.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Forty-seven venues, two police forces, moved courts and stale directories — London's legal system rewards people who know where their case goes and what deadline it's on. Our free line is live now, 24/7, trained on the law of England and Wales, with no limit on your questions. We are not a law firm; it's legal information, not legal advice, and no solicitor-client relationship arises. When you want an expert solicitor on your specific problem, a one-hour consultation is a fixed £145 — bookable right on the call.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.