Know Your Rights

The following websites will help you find out information about the law, your rights and how to proceed with your case.

General

• Community Legal Service
  The official Community Legal Service (CLS) website. Obtain advice about your legal problem using the Advice Search function. Also you can download the full range CLS Legal Information Leaflets.
• Advice Guide
  Advice guide provides practical, reliable, up-to-date information on a vast range of legal topics. Published by Citizens Advice.
• Youth Information
  Website of the National Youth Agency (NYA) with information on over 1000 topics and contact details for more than 1200 national organisations.
• Department for Work and Pensions
  Information on entitlement to benefits.
• The Court Service
  The Court Service website provides information to help deal with some of the most common reasons for coming to court including repossession, divorce and family matters, criminal proceedings and wills & probate. A range of downloadable leaflets is available.

Housing Rights

• Shelter Net
  Shelternet aims to provide clear, accessible information for anyone facing a housing problem.

Consumer Rights

• Consumer Direct
  Consumer Direct is funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and enables you to tackle your consumer problems as well as helping you to make informed decisions before buying goods and services.
• Office of Fair Trading
  The Office of Fair Trading website gives general advice on your consumer rights under the law and tips on how to complain or how to find someone who can help with your problem. There is also information on shopping, on credit and on getting out of debt.
• Which?
  The website of the Consumers’ Association provides information on a range of shopper and consumer rights.

Welfare Rights

• Durham County Council Welfare Rights Service helps individuals and families in County Durham obtain their legal entitlements to social security benefits and tax credits. We can advise you on what benefits or tax credits you should be entitled to, check that you are getting the right amount of money, help with problems such as overpayments and refusals of claims, and we can also represent you at appeal tribunals.

Employment Rights

• TIGER - Employment Rights
  A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) website, TIGER provides guidance on different aspects of UK employment law from the national minimum wage to flexible working rights.

Human Rights

• Your Rights
  Your rights is Liberty's online guide to human rights law for England and Wales providing comprehensive information on 18 different rights and freedoms, with particular attention to the effect on these rights of the incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Disability Rights

• Disability Rights Commission
  The website of the Disability Rights Commission provides guidance about disabled people's legal rights and what to do if you think you have been discriminated against because of your disability.

Racial Discrimination

• Commission for Racial Equality
  The Commission for Racial Equality site provides guidance for those suffering racial discrimination, harassment or abuse.