legal advice

Legal advice is the professional, formal opinion given from a lawyer, solicitor or barrister to a person or organisation who believes they could have a legal claim against another party. Legal advice can be obtained for free from organisations like the Citizens Advice Bureau or for a fee from a law firm (unless obtained under a no-win no-fee procedure where the claimant does not win their case). As detailed in the Legal Services Act 2007 in the UK, legal advice can be given by anyone, not only officers of the court, under the definition of “unreserved legal activities”. However, legal advice provided by a solicitor or another individual or organisation authorised by a legal services regulator, the activity is included in their regulatory reach. Now, the internet means that people can do their own legal research and complete legal documents themselves. Some companies even offer visitors answers to law-related questions for free on their websites.