Finance Score: 0

Governance Score: -11

Support Score: 10

Multiple Deficits and declines: -5
Future income +5
No PartB

No conflicts policy: -1
Only 3 Trustees: -2
Very static board: -5
All male board: -3

Large volunteers +3
Grant maker support: +7

Overall GiG Score: -1

FREE REPRESENTATION UNIT

(a) Relief of poverty by providing legal advice and representation before tribunals and courts in the United Kingdom for those who cannot otherwise afford such advice or representation.(b) Assisting in the education and training of law students, pupils, trainees, junior barristers and solicitors through the delivery of (a) above.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

This charity has been successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently and there are significant future grants due to be received

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

This charity does not have a Conflict of Interests policy
There are only 3 trustees
The Board is completely male
The Board composition appears to be very static

Financial issues to consider:

A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
Income has been volatile and on several occasions in recent years less than spending

Established: 37 years

www.thefru.org.uk

admin@thefru.org.uk

02076119550

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E		Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
30/09/22	*	£356	£425	£-69	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	300
30/09/21		£440	£477	£-37	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	300
30/09/20		£613	£485	£128	£19	£276	£262	6.5	9	300
30/09/19?		£726	£717	£10	£30	£148	£117	2	9	350
31/03/18		£385	£478	£-93	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	290
31/03/17	*	£444	£444	£0	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/16		£397	£409	£-12	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/15		£392	£402	£-10	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/14		£455	£407	£48	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/13		£490	£441	£49	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/12		£437	£469	£-32	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/11		£350	£389	£-38	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/10		£342	£359	£-18	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/09		£427	£342	£85	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/08		£286	£283	£2	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/07		£273	£248	£24	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/06		£250	£228	£22	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
05/04/05		£259	£240	£19	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
05/04/04		£216	£212	£3	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000

What it does

Disability
Economic/Community Development/Employment
Education/Training
The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

Who works here?

300 volunteers

Who it helps

The General Public/Mankind

How it operates

Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides human resources

Where it operates

Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Throughout London, West Sussex,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years

Trust for London	£145,000
Access to Justice Foundation	£75,000
City Bridge Trust	£9,625
Essex Community Foundation	£7,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Trust for London - Free Representation Unit
£145,000	08/02/2023	The funding is for increasing the number of people who are properly represented in social security tribunals to support decent living standards and employment tribunals to support better work. Work ....more The funding is for increasing the number of people who are properly represented in social security tribunals to support decent living standards and employment tribunals to support better work. Work to understand and remove barriers to referral and represent 450 more clients, protecting income and securing rights.
Essex Community Foundation - Grant to Free Representation Unit
£7,000	12/05/2022	to support the salary of a legal officer helping supervise trainees who provide free legal representation for disadvantaged individuals across the county
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£75,000	05/08/2020	A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Free Representation Unit
£9,625	09/04/2020	A one-off, unrestricted grant of £9,625, equivalent to one regular quarterly payment for the organisations current grant.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Free Representation Unit
£142,500	21/03/2019 60	£142,500 core funding over five years (£38,500, £33,500, £28,500, £23,500, £18,500) to provide free legal advice and representation in tribunals to vulnerable clients and those on low incomes ....more £142,500 core funding over five years (£38,500, £33,500, £28,500, £23,500, £18,500) to provide free legal advice and representation in tribunals to vulnerable clients and those on low incomes in London.
Trust for London - Free Representation Unit
£120,000	04/10/2017 36	The funding is to support and continue the Employment Self-Referral project employing a Legal Officer and Self-Referral Manager supporting our work over three years. We will build on previous success ....more The funding is to support and continue the Employment Self-Referral project employing a Legal Officer and Self-Referral Manager supporting our work over three years. We will build on previous success from funding from TFL, developing the work to provide capacity to assist additional claimants following the declaration that tribunal fees were unlawful.

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (3)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

FENELLA MORRIS QC Appointed: 2013

MICHAEL FEALY QC Appointed: 2013

SEAN JONES QC Appointed: 2012

Legal constitution

Charity registered in England & Wales on 19/01/1987, number: 295952

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Complaints handling
Risk management
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Volunteer management

Filing Record

19 returns made; AR22: 5 days late, AR17: 59 days late,

Main office

1st Floor
10/11 Gray's Inn Square
Gray's Inn
London
WC1R 5JD

Objectives

(1) TO RELIEVE POVERTY BY PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION BEFORE TRIBUNALS AND COURTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT AFFORD SUCH ADVICE OR REPRESENTATION; AND(2) TO ASSIST IN THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OR LAW STUDENTS, PUPILS, TRAINEES, JUNIOR BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS THROUGH THE DELIVERY OF (1) ABOVE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

ENGLAND AND WALES

Data Sources