Support Through Court National Helpline relocates to Nottingham Law School
A helpline for those going through court alone which has taken more than 17,000 calls each year over the last two years has been relocated to Nottingham Law School (NLS) – where volunteer law students will provide members of the public with immediate legal support and guidance.
By Helen Breese | Published on 7 November 2024
Categories: Press office; Nottingham Law School;
Support Through Court’s National Helpline joins its National Online Service which is already hosted at NLS, part of Nottingham Trent University, making it the sole host university for its national services.
A minimum of 150 NLS students are trained each year to work on the services, which offer free support to members of the public going through court alone. The National Helpline enables clients to receive instant practical and emotional support over the phone, while Support Through Court Online provides clients with telephone or video appointments.
Volunteers help clients by discussing their civil or family case, providing legal information, and helping with procedure, court forms and statements, as well as providing much needed emotional support.
With up to 48 students per day working across both services, it is anticipated that around 3,000 clients per month will receive support during a time when many people cannot afford to pay for legal services, providing vital access to justice.
Laura Pinkney, head of NLS Legal, Nottingham Law School’s teaching law firm, said: “This development is testament to the strength and success of the Support Through Court/NLS partnership to date, and we look forward to continuing to work with Support Through Court to help more litigants in person and to offer more outstanding opportunities to our students.”
Lizzy Parkes, Support Through Court’s senior service manager for the National Services, said: ”This is an incredibly exciting time for Support Through Court with our national services giving us the opportunity to reach more clients around the UK who may not be able to get in touch with a local office for support. We are grateful to have the support of NLS Legal, Nottingham Trent University, and its fantastic students to assist us in ensuring that no one has to face court alone.”
Support Through Court’s National Helpline is open Monday to Friday 10:30am to 3:30pm, call 03000 810 006, or access the National Online Service via www.supportthroughcourt.org/book-an-appointment
Notes for Editors
Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations and Research Communications Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.
About Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.
It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025)
NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.
NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023).
NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).
About Support Through Court
Support Through Court exists to reduce the disadvantage of people facing the civil or family justice system without a lawyer. The charity provides free practical and emotional support to people facing court alone, empowering people who feel that they have nowhere else to turn. An award-winning charity with over 600 dedicated volunteers, they provide support before, during and after court to people without representation via both local and remote services across England and Wales.