Pro bono impact story: kids in need of defense

There are 215,000 undocumented children living in the UK. Some of these children are British but unable to prove it and have lived in the UK all or most of their lives. Others are victims of trafficking or exploitation or have fled from war. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) offers free legal advice and representation to undocumented children and young people via its partnerships with lawyers and law firms across the country. KIND has helped 699 children and young people this year with a success rate of 99% in completed cases. 

Becoming documented is life changing for a child or young person. It ends the risk of being torn from their family and home or being deported to a country they do not know. They can then access work, higher education and various opportunities freely when they are adults. 

Charles Russell Speechlys has collaborated with KIND since September 2023. We work to provide end-to-end pro bono assistance to undocumented children with their applications for citizenship and leave to remain in the UK. Full training, supervision and support has been provided by our dedicated expert solicitor at KIND, Anab Nur, to help us with the cases along the way. 

Anab’s experience (KIND Solicitor): 

Anab has been providing Charles Russell Speechlys with expert support since our partnership with KIND began in 2023. She said "it has been a pleasure working with your teams – they have been very efficient and have been progressing the applications at a good speed".

Since Charles Russell Speechlys joined forces with KIND we have trained 71 fee earners from a range of practice groups (Real Estate, Banking & Finance, Construction, Immigration, Commercial Dispute Resolution, TT&S – UK and Geneva offices, Family, Corporate, Tax, Employment, and IP). 

Sarah Wigington’s experience:

Sarah Wigington, a Partner in our Corporate team, who has worked on one of our successful cases, says her work with client X "reflects our commitment to providing precise and effective legal support through the KIND project. We are gratified to see X's citizenship application conclude successfully. Our role was to assist X in applying for citizenship, drawing on the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981, and to support his application with the necessary evidence.

This outcome not only benefits X and his family but also underscores the value of professional guidance in such matters. We look forward to continuing our work in assisting individuals with their legal needs in a straightforward and impactful way."

Charles Russell Speechlys currently has a 100% success rate in our KIND cases, demonstrating the strong legal basis underlying these children’s applications for citizenship and leave to remain. We are proud to be able to assist them to exercise their rights. We are committed to helping children and young people who might not otherwise be able to access legal representation and are proud to play a small part in enhancing their future opportunities in the UK.