--- title: "Birmingham Law Centre rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Birmingham Law Centre a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 36/100. Accounts 2012: income £693k · 66% on charitable activities. Reg 1087514." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-law-centre retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:06:59.072Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Birmingham Law Centre a good charity? Birmingham Law Centre scores 36/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2012 (£693k total income, 66% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown. Walsall · WS1 1QL | Reg [1087514](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-law-centre) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.birminghamlawcentre.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1087514) Donate ## How can you give to BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.birminghamlawcentre.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1087514) ## What does Birmingham Law Centre do? Birmingham Law Centre is a registered charity (no. 1087514) working in legal advice in Walsall · WS1 1QL. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 66% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, though accounts are currently overdue or missing. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes. Summarised from public filings — Birmingham Law Centre hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=birmingham-law-centre) **In short:** BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE scores 36 out of 100 (2 stars). 66% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Birmingham Law Centre? Birmingham Law Centre has a Clarity Score of 36 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1087514. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Legal advice. Latest accounts year 2012: total income £693k, with 66% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: missing. Reserves: approximately 0 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 36/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend 66% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 38/100 Finance beacon Income £693k Latest year 2012 Reserves 0 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Missing Check register Fundraising efficiency not stated · 2% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: low ## How does BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)1stpercentile **Scores higher than 1% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 36/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Legal advice charities2ndpercentile **Scores higher than 2% of 48 charities in this cause** · 36/100 vs 86 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Birmingham Law Centre's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2012 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 Low confidence — key filing data unavailable Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: [Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is Birmingham Law Centre's Beacon report? Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report. ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 38/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 0% | 0/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 4 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 0% | 0/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 17/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | 0 months · 0/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 50% | 5/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 82% · 0/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 70/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 40% | 66% · 4/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 20/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 20% | 7 volunteers / 23 staff · 2/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Birmingham Law Centre's Clarity Score? 36/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 38/100 Accountability & Transparency 17/100 Financial Health 70/100 Financial Efficiency 20/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 38/100 Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts Trustee oversight4 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies0/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 17/100 Reserves (months of cash)0 months · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth5/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets82% · 0/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 70/100 Program expense ratio66% · 4/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 20/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio7 volunteers / 23 staff · 2/10 pts ## How much does Birmingham Law Centre raise and spend? Latest filed year 2012 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £693k | — | | Total expenditure | £713k | — | | Charitable activities | £6k | 1% | | Governance & admin | £7k | 1% | 1%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2012) · £713k spent - Charitable activities1% · £6k - Governance1% · £7k - Other spending98% · £700k ## What trust indicators does Birmingham Law Centre have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - — Accounts filed on time Filing status: missing - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 4 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 23 employees · 7 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff) Fundraising Regulator Status not yet checked Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice. [Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 1087514 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1087514) ### Trustees & officers - RAJA CHOUDHURY - DR ELIZABETH HENSEL - Rev Dr Neil Wharrier Johnson PhD - SU CHADDA since 2013 100 How we score charities +The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. ## How have Birmingham Law Centre's finances changed over five years? - Income - Spending - Cause spend Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts ## What are the key facts about Birmingham Law Centre? Overall score 36/100 (2★) Income £693k Cause spend 66% of expenditure Reg number 1087514 Scope Local (walsall) Reserves 0 months Trustees 4 Accounts year 2012 Filing missing ## How does BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE compare, and where else can you look? [Compare BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=birmingham-law-centre) [More legal advice charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/legal-advice) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where BIRMINGHAM LAW CENTRE sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [legal advice charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/legal-advice) - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in Walsall](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/walsall) ### Similar legal advice charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CITIZENS ADVICE WORCESTER AND HEREFORDSHIRE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/citizens-advice-worcester-and-herefordshire) 99/100 · £2.2m - [WATFORD CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/watford-citizens-advice-bureau) 99/100 · £615k - [LEWES DISTRICT CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/lewes-district-citizens-advice-bureau) 99/100 · £521k - [Citizens Advice Somerset](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/citizens-advice-somerset) 96/100 · £2.3m ## How can you share Birmingham Law Centre's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Birmingham%20Law%20Centre%20%E2%80%94%2036%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fbirmingham-law-centre)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fbirmingham-law-centre)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fbirmingham-law-centre)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Birmingham%20Law%20Centre%20%E2%80%94%2036%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fbirmingham-law-centre) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Birmingham Law Centre. For this charity ## How do you add Birmingham Law Centre's rating to your site? Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 36/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-law-centre) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 36/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Birmingham Law Centre have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Birmingham Law Centre's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Birmingham Law Centre a good charity? + Birmingham Law Centre scores 36 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 66% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are missing. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate. Is Birmingham Law Centre a legitimate charity? + Yes — Birmingham Law Centre is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1087514). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1087514. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Birmingham Law Centre's charity number? + Birmingham Law Centre's charity number is 1087514. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals. What is Birmingham Law Centre's charity rating? + Birmingham Law Centre scores 36 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking. Does Birmingham Law Centre have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Birmingham Law Centre. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches Birmingham Law Centre? + According to its 2012 regulator filing, 66% of Birmingham Law Centre's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift. What are Birmingham Law Centre's overheads? + According to its 2012 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 2% of total expenditure at Birmingham Law Centre. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Birmingham Law Centre's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register. How much income does Birmingham Law Centre receive? + Birmingham Law Centre reported £693k total income in its 2012 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Birmingham Law Centre's accounts up to date? + Filing status: missing (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is Birmingham Law Centre based? + Birmingham Law Centre is listed at Walsall · WS1 1QL, focused on legal advice. How does CharityCompare score Birmingham Law Centre? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Birmingham Law Centre's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought. How often is this page updated? + This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Birmingham Law Centre's most recent accounts cover 2012. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.