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The Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) is a network of three offices in Scotland that helps people with civil legal problems

Our solicitors can provide advice and representation to people with particular types of civil legal problems.

We cover Highland and Islands, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and Edinburgh and the Lothians.

How can the Civil Legal Assistance Office help you?

If you are a member of the public and are eligible for the service then we can try to assist by:

Taking on your case directly
Referring you to a suitable legal or advice provider
Signposting you to other sources of help

Find out if we can help you

See what happens when you contact CLAO
Check if you are eligible for legal assistance
Use our three-step checker to see if your case is one we can help with

Visiting our offices and contacting your solicitor

Please see our update for full details on how we are delivering our services

Latest News

General

SLAB trainee solicitors embark on new-look Civil-Criminal traineeships

3 February 2025

Our CLS Directorate have today welcomed three trainee solicitors who will be the first intake to benefit from a new traineeship in both civil and criminal law

General

Website maintenance being carried out on Monday 3 February

30 January 2025

Our website is being moved to a new server on Monday to improve performance, reliability and itsr ability to handle increased demands

Vacancy: Secretarial Administrator – Aberdeen

29 January 2025

We are recruiting a Secretarial Administrator to join our Aberdeen office on a fixed term contract, with a deadline of Sunday 9 February 2025 for applications.

Vacancies

Vacancy: Solicitor - Inverness

22 January 2025

Seeking a Grade 6 civil litigation solicitor to serve the island communities covered by our CLAO Highlands & Islands office on a fixed term 12-month contract.

Vacancies

Vacancy: Secretarial Administrator – Inverness

30 September 2024

We are recruiting a Secretarial Administrator to join our Inverness office on a fixed term contract, with a deadline of Sunday 13 October 2024 for applications.

Vacancies

Vacancies: Trainee Solicitors

18 September 2024

Recruiting three trainee solicitors to manage varied criminal & civil legal aid caseloads with comprehensive training & support on fixed term, full time basis.