About Youth Legal
A specialist charity providing free legal advice to young people aged 16-25 and families with children.
What We Do
Founded in March 2013, Youth Legal is a community resource based in London providing services specifically for young people between 16 and 25. Youth Legal offers free legal advice at its office based at Devas Club close to Clapham Common and Clapham Junction. Our legal advice line provides telephone advice to individuals and advisors, and Public Legal Education to young people and families with children, and advice to support workers through training sessions and seminars.
We are based at the Devas Youth Club, close to Clapham Common and Clapham Junction in Wandsworth.
To use one of our legal services, or for more information:
Pop in to our offices: The Devas Youth Club, 2a Stormont Road, SW11 5EN
Give us a call: 020 3195 1906
Send us an email: info@youthlegal.org.uk.
We offer free confidential advice to young people and organisations seeking advice on behalf of a young person.
Youth Legal is a specialist charity providing free legal advice to young people aged 16-25 and families with children. We are based in Wandsworth and most of our client base is in South West London but we are non-exclusionary and will take on cases from further afield if there is no help elsewhere.
We focus on housing, community care, immigration and debt and money advice. We work with care leavers, disabled young people, young carers, migrant children, people with no recourse to public funds and families facing crisis.
Our approach is holistic. Legal problems rarely exist in isolation and we support young people to achieve long-term safety and stability through referring internally and strong partnerships with other organisations.
Our Approach
- Provide free, confidential, specialist advice and representation
- Deliver legal and rights based training to local organisations
- Offer training and second-tier advice to professionals
- Support volunteers and young people to shape our services
Our Mission
To provide free, specialist legal advice and representation to young people aged 16-25 and families with children, helping them secure housing, social care support, lawful immigration status and financial stability.
Our Vision
A society where every young person can access justice and the support they need to build a safe, stable future.
Meet the Team
Hanna Dunn
Director
Renata Wardle
Office Manager
Renata has extensive experience managing law centre operations and volunteer programmes. She previously worked at Central London Community Law Centre and has been involved with Youth Legal since its formation. Renata oversees administration, governance and volunteer coordination.
Maureen Vincent
Senior Solicitor
Maureen qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and has over 20 years’ experience in housing, community care and social welfare law. She previously worked at Brent Community Law Centre for 17 years before joining Youth Legal in 2020. Maureen supervises legal casework and ensures compliance with Legal Aid and regulatory standards.
Valerie Clark
Valerie founded Youth Legal in 2013 after the closure of Streetwise Law Centre. She has dedicated her career to supporting young people and families in the not-for-profit advice sector. Valerie specialises in community care law and continues to support the organisation’s strategic development.
Hope Olugbola
Debt and Money Advisor
Hope is an experienced debt adviser and member of the Institute of Money Advisers. He established the debt service at Hackney Community Law Centre before joining Youth Legal in 2019 to develop the organisation’s money advice service.
Our Trustees
Cecilia Potez
Trustee since 2019
Cecilia started volunteering with Youth Legal in 2016 and became a trustee in 2019. She works at Wandsworth Citizens Advice Bureau and previously worked as a Regulatory Affairs Policy and Intelligence Director in the Pharmaceutical Industry for nearly 20 years. She has extensive experience in explaining, interpreting and influencing legislation and regulation.
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Our Volunteers
Volunteers play an important role in supporting our work. They assist with research, signposting, outreach and developing information resources. Many are law students or early-career professionals gaining experience in social welfare law. Over 90% of our volunteers are under 30.
We are committed to ensuring young people have a voice in shaping our services.
" I truly believe that volunteering with Youth Legal has given me the confidence and skills and confidence I need to step into a full-time role"
- Mo
Volunteer (2026)
Safeguarding
Youth Legal is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.
Many of the young people we support are care leavers, disabled young people, migrants, or individuals facing homelessness and crisis. We recognise our responsibility to ensure that all interactions are safe, respectful and appropriate.
All staff and volunteers are required to adhere to our safeguarding procedures. We maintain up-to-date safeguarding policies, training and reporting processes to protect those who use our services.
Partnerships
We work in partnership with local advice organisations, youth services and voluntary sector networks across London to improve access to justice for young people.
We welcome strategic partnerships with organisations committed to improving access to justice for young people
If you are interested in talking about outreach or working with us, get in touch.