An Oxford law firm has clinched a legal aid first by successfully bidding for a not-for-profit contract after a housing advice centre shut down.

Turpin Miller & Higgins (TMH) tendered for the contract when Oxford Housing Rights closed after local authorities withdrew support.


TMH's contract starts next month, but it is currently providing interim advice for clients living under four councils in the Oxford area, as well as for support agencies such as Citizens Advice and Women's Aid.


It includes a drop-in service, telephone and e-mail advice, county court representation scheme, and a Web camera project supported by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) through a £5,000 grant, which means that clients do not have to visit its offices. The TMH team also provides training for other providers in the area on housing, community care and immigration.


TMH partner Marlan Higgins said: 'With the ongoing cuts in LSC funding and the falling number of firms undertaking legal aid work, this type of arrangement can ensure that members of the public access high-quality advice and representation.'


Richard Miller, director of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, backed the initiative. 'Private practice firms should be eligible for local authority funding to provide such services,' he insisted. '[We] hope that this will be the first of many occasions on which legal aid firms can tap into this additional source of funding for their expertise.'


An LSC spokesman also welcomed the move. 'This is evidence of the Community Legal Service in action when the infrastructure in an area shuts down and there is a shortfall in advice,' he said. 'We were in discussions with the firm and all the local authorities concerned. We provided the firm with a reference because it has proved it is community oriented.'