The national Law Centre movement was started in the 1970s by radical lawyers who were disappointed in the failure of the welfare state to eradicate poverty and deliver a more equal society.

Coventry Law Centre was founded in 1976 by four Councillors: Tom McLatchie, Gilbert Richards, Arthur Waugh Senior and Charles Ward.  Coventry City Council has been a key supporter of our work ever since.

Central England Law Centre Ltd was formed after Coventry Law Centre opened an office in Birmingham in 2013. 

Over the last 40 years, the Law Centre has evolved in response to the changing needs of our clients and changes to the public funding of legal advice but we have never wavered from our focus on improving the lives of our community, here are some examples from then and now: