Who is involved?

Kids in Need of Defense UK is led by Central England Law Centre (CELC), with advice and representation hubs based at CELC and MiCLU from 2017, and at Coram Children’s Legal Centre via their Children’s Pro Bono Legal Service, which will form part of Kids in Need of Defense UK from 2018. The UK law centres involved specialise in providing legal advice and representation to vulnerable migrant groups with a mission to protect children’s rights.

Each law centre partners with corporate law firms, providing training to their lawyers in relation to immigration law, and working with children and young people, providing a supported referral stage, and then providing close support and mentorship throughout the client’s application.

Kids in Need of Defense UK offers a chance for corporate lawyers to use their existing skills, while gaining new skills, to transform the life of a young person. We focus on a child-centred approach, with the best interests of children at the heart of our service, and a commitment to improving their circumstances and life chances.

Wider work

By working nationally we hope to gather further evidence of the challenges faced by undocumented children, and to provide a voice for these marginalised young people that increases the possibilities for them to fulfil their potential and to fully integrate into life in the U.K.

MiCLU’s pro bono partners

Each Kids in Need of Defense UK hub works with a group of pro bono partners to deliver the Kids in Need of Defense UK service.

MiCLU’s pro bono partners in Kids in Need of Defense UK are currently:

Covington & Burling LLP
Microsoft (in house legal team)
Ropes & Gray International LLP
Reed Smith LLP
A&O Shearman
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
Ashurst LLP
Cooley LLP
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
K&L Gates LLP
Farrer & Co LLP

We are very grateful for the support and commitment of our pro bono partners and the dedication and care they show to their Kids in Need of Defense UK clients. It has been a pleasure to train all of the legal teams involved, and the calibre of the service provided to the children and their families is phenomenal. In a time of austerity and cuts to services, it is such a pleasure to work with people who consistently want to do more!