Editorial policy

This policy explains how Free Legal Advice UK researches, writes, dates, reviews and corrects its guides. It applies to everything we publish.

Our purpose

We explain the law of England and Wales in plain English so that people can understand their position and know where to get help. We publish general information, not legal advice.

How guides are researched

• We start with primary sources: Acts of Parliament and regulations on legislation.gov.uk, the Civil Procedure Rules and court guidance.
• We use official guidance from GOV.UK, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, Acas, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society, tribunals and regulators.
• We may refer to respected advice charities, such as Citizens Advice and Shelter, for practical guidance.
• We do not rely on unsourced blog posts, and we never invent facts, figures, case studies or testimonials.

Sourcing and links

Every guide ends with a list of the sources it relies on, and key points link directly to them. Figures that change regularly, such as court fees or salary thresholds, are either taken from the official source with a date or left out with a link to where the current figure is published.

Dates

Each guide shows a published date and a last updated date. The last updated date changes when we make a substantive change, such as a change in the law, a correction or a new section. It does not change for minor formatting edits.

Review

We check each guide against its sources when we publish or update it. We aim to review every guide at least every six months, and sooner when the law changes. Guides are written and checked by the Free Legal Advice UK editorial team; they have not been individually reviewed by a practising solicitor unless the guide says so.

Corrections

If you think something is wrong or out of date, please tell us using our contact form. We review every correction request. If we agree a change is needed, we update the guide and its last updated date. Where a correction changes the meaning of a guide, we say so in the guide.

Independence

We have no advertisers, sponsors or affiliate arrangements, and we do not receive payment from law firms or anyone else to publish or shape content. Organisations we link to have no say over what we write.

Use of tools

We may use software tools to help with research and drafting. Every guide is checked by our editorial team against the sources listed before publication, and the team is responsible for what we publish.

Scope

Our guides cover England and Wales. Where Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland differ, we say so and point to the right sources.