Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

Visiting our offices and contacting your solicitor

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

Do you live in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire? Are you eligible for legal aid? Do you have a legal problem that falls within one of our case types?

If you have answered yes to these questions, we may be able to help you. Contact us to discuss your legal issue and we will assess if we are able to take your case.

Areas of work

Contact CLAO Aberdeen to find out if we can help you with cases relating to:

  • Housing and homelessness
  • Some types of debt, money and welfare benefits issues where the input of our solicitor casework services can be most effective
  • Child Protection and children’s hearings
  • Some types of family law – those that involve an element of public law. We can help identify that.

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

353 Union Street Aberdeen AB11 6BT AB153

Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire

353 Union Street Aberdeen AB11 6BT AB153

Office opening hours

Monday to Friday 09.00-17.00

Office accessibility

The office is not suitable for wheelchair access and would be difficult to access for anyone with walking difficulties.

Wheelchair Users Stairs

Our office is located in Aberdeen city centre at 353 Union Street. It is on the second floor and the building has no lift.

Arrangements can be made to meet at a nearby location that is fully accessible or (where appropriate) carry out a home visit. Please raise this when we take initial details over the telephone.

See more information on accessibility – making it easier to access our services

Getting here

Information if you are getting to CLAO Aberdeen by bus, train, car and bike.

Bus

By bus
First Bus Aberdeen services 1, 1A, 2, 11, 13, 15, 17B, 18, 18A, 19, 23 stop near to Aberdeen CLAO.

  • If you are travelling towards the city centre the closest bus stops are located across the road on Union Street (B1, B2, and B3)
  • If you are travelling away from the city centre the closest bus stops are outside the office on Union Street (B4, B5, and B6)

Train

By train
Aberdeen train station is located approx. 0.4 miles (approx. 650 metres) from the office.

Car

By car
The office has no parking spaces. There is chargeable on-street car parking located on some side streets e.g. Bon Accord Street, Langstane Place, and within Bon Accord Square. There is an NCP car park on Shiprow approx. 0.5 miles from the office.

Bike

By bike
There is a bike rack on the opposite side of the street from the office beside the post box.

When you arrive

All visitors must report to Reception on the second floor. There is one step from the street level to the main door and buzzer.

The stairs have a handrail.

The visitor toilet is on the first floor.

During your visit

Fire evacuation
Please report to Reception when you arrive. If the fire alarm sounds (a continuously ringing bell) a member of staff will immediately escort you from the building.
Guide dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome in our office. Please let us know in advance if you would like us to make any special arrangements to help accommodate them. We will have a bowl of water available for them.
Hearing loops
Portable induction loops are also available from Reception on request. Hearing aid users must turn their hearing aid to the “T” position to use the induction loops.

Please let us know in advance of your visit about support you need to visit our offices or communicate with us during your time in our office.

How do I know if I can use the CLAO Aberdeen service?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you can contact CLAO Aberdeen for help:

  • I live in Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire
  • I have a civil legal problem ( a legal problem that is not to do with the criminal law)
  • I have been told I need a solicitor or I am unsure whether or not I need a lawyer.

How do I contact CLAO Aberdeen?

Members of the public can use telephone or email to Contact Us.

Please note that CLAO Aberdeen does not offer a drop in service. You will not be able to speak to a solicitor if you appear at the office. Please contact us by phone or email and we can assess what we can do to assist you.

Information about appointments with a CLAO Aberdeen solicitor

If we have advised you that we are considering taking on your case you might be offered an appointment with one of the CLAO Aberdeen solicitors. Our offices (see Contact Us) are up two flights of stairs but there is lift access. If you are given an appointment at our office, please let us know if you have any mobility problems and we will arrange for you to gain access to the lift.

We try to be flexible about appointments so if you have any problems attending an appointment you can phone us as soon as possible to try and arrange an alternative. If you fail to attend an appointment without good reason, or rearrange several times without good reason, then we may not be able to assist you any further. If you are offered an ‘emergency’ appointment, it will be because your legal issue needs urgent action. If you miss an emergency appointment, that may mean that it is then too late to do the legal work needed to resolve your problem and a new appointment may not be possible.

You should have any legal paperwork which relates to your case available for the appointment. When coming to a first appointment, you should also provide a form of photographic ID such as a driving licence or passport and proof of your address (for example, bank statement, benefit award letter or utility bill dated within the last three months).

The rules of legal aid mean that we have to check your financial position at the first meeting. You must provide confirmation of any income and capital including any savings or investments. It is important that you provide the financial information as we may not be able to do any work for you until we have seen this. If you are not sure what is needed you can call the office first to check.