Coventry's on-line advice centre wins top award

INTERNET: first LSC quality mark for law centre's site

Coventry Law Centre is the first organisation to be recognised for its innovative Web site through the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) quality mark - without eating too far into its budget.

The site - www.covlaw.org.uk - was set up last year, with the aim of giving potential clients guidance on legal problems and pointers on how to get in touch with the centre.

Users can also download information on legal issues.

The site receives 1,000 hits each month.

The quality mark is awarded to organisations with sites that meet the requirements for clarity, legal content and accessibility.

The scheme exists alongside wider initiatives including the Royal National Institute of the Blind's (RNIB) Web accessibility campaign, as the LSC considers whether blind or visually impaired people can use the site.

Centre manager Crispin Passmore said it is possible to develop a Web site to the LSC's standards without breaking the bank.

'Give a clear brief to [the Web expert] you use,' Mr Passmore explained.

'Give them the specifics for the quality mark alongside your personal requirements, and it won't be too difficult.'

Mr Passmore said the site showed how law centres could combine not-for-profit with high standards.

'The Web is an opportunity to get legal information to people who find it difficult to access traditional services,' he said.

'The disabled and those with a visual impairment are perhaps the most obvious group who can benefit.'

An LSC spokesman said it hoped the mark would provide on-line information seekers with as much choice as traditional services.

'Users accessing a Web site with the CLS Quality Mark should have confidence that it provides a quality assured service,' he added.

Paula Rohan