
About Fife Law Centre
Fife Law Centre are a team of solicitors who provide free legal advice and representation for the people in Fife who need it most. We can provide legal advice on a range of subjects. It really depends on what your problem is. If we are unable to help you, we will do our best to point you in the direction of someone who can. Our thanks to our funders below.
Attending a Meeting with Fife Law Centre
When you come to meet with us, we will need you to bring the following information with you:
Photographic proof of ID [passport or driving licence which must be current] and
Proof of your address, which must be dated within the last 6 months.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Meeting regarding criminal injuries — if you have previously made an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, you must bring with you:
- A copy of your application.
- Any letters which you have received from them.
- The crime reference number for the crime of violence you are seeking compensation for and any police records that you have.
- Details of your GP and any specialist medical practitioner you are seeing with respect to the criminal injury.
- If you have any criminal convictions, please bring details of these.
Housing Advice
Meeting regarding housing — please bring with you:
- Documents showing your current income and your partner’s income (if applicable). These could be a wage slip, DWP letter or bank statement.
- Proof of any savings, investments etc. that you have. A recent bank statement for all accounts for you and your partner will be enough unless you have any other sources of capital.
- Any papers regarding eviction you have received from your landlord or their solicitor or from court (these will likely be ‘notice of proceedings’, ‘summons’ or ‘incidental application’).
Meet Our Board
Board members have a wide range of experience and knowledge and you can find out more about them here.
Tom has lived in Fife for over 30 years. He graduated in law from Dundee University in 1979. He has been a solicitor and partner in law firms in Glasgow and Edinburgh and most recently in his own practice. He has also been a solicitor advocate for over 25 years for the most part representing people who have developed industrial diseases. He is a past President of the Society of Solicitor Advocates and a former member of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland. His principal interest outside work and family is music and for many years he has sung and played with the Inverkeithing Community Big Band.
Thomas Docherty joined Which? in January 2017 as Head of Public Affairs Scotland and in July 2019 became Head of Public Affairs, Nations and Regions. Thomas leads on all Which?’s engagement with devolved administrations, politicians, regulators and other key stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well the Metro Mayors in the English regions of England. He represents Which? on the Scottish Government’s scams advisory group, the working group on regulation of legal services, and the Consumer Protection Network. In October 2019 he was appointed by the Lord President to be a member of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, the body that prepares draft rules of procedure for the civil courts and advises the Lord President on the development of the civil justice system in Scotland. Thomas was the Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife from May 2010 to May 2015. He was the Shadow Minister with responsibility for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2013 and 2014, and in 2014 was appointed Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. Prior to his election in 2010 he worked in Property Development, Rail and the Energy Generation sectors. In his spare time Thomas is Chairman of Dunfermline Round Table and Secretary of the Dunfermline Beer Festival Committee.
Work With Our Board
Fife Law Centre is currently seeking to recruit Board members with various skills, including financial management, Third Sector organisations and their purposes in Fife, and statutory bodies e.g. local government and health.
Fife Law Centre was established in 2009 and is a registered charity, constituted as a company limited by guarantee. It is the product of the vision of local agencies and providers who saw a need for accessible and specialist legal services for clients served by the Third Sector in Fife. These founding agencies are now our partners as we seek to provide for those with unmet legal needs.
We operate as a Board which sustains and supports a private legal firm, Fife Community Law Ltd, which itself is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.
The purpose of the Board is to set the strategic direction of, and secure the resources for, Fife Law Centre, and to work with the Principal Solicitor to support the delivery of services. Our principal funders are Fife Council and the Scottish Legal Aid Board, under the Making Justice Work Project.
The current focus of legal work is on cases of homelessness, welfare law, supporting victims of domestic violence, employment and immigration. Matters in other fields are dealt with at the discretion of the Principal Solicitor.
The Board meets 5/6 times a year in a formal setting, with Board members taking a lead in different topics, occasionally in work groups.
Please get in touch for more information, and to request an application form. Email Tom Marshall, Chair, Fife Law Centre tom.marshall@fifelawcentre.co.uk

