Using this website.

Our approach

People come to this site at difficult moments — facing eviction, waiting on a visa decision, sorting out a divorce. Nobody should have to fight the website as well.

So we have written this page the way we write everything else: honestly. Below we set out what we have actually done, and — just as importantly — what we know still falls short. We would rather tell you than have you find out.

If any of it stops you getting the help you need, please just ring us. We will do it over the phone or in the office instead, and it makes no difference to the advice you get or what it costs.

What we have built in

This site has been built with accessibility in mind from the start rather than bolted on afterwards. In practice that means:

• It works with a keyboard. You can reach every link, menu and form field with the Tab key, without a mouse. The menus open on keyboard focus, not just on hover.
• You can see where you are. Links, buttons and form fields show a clear outline when they have keyboard focus, so you are never guessing what is selected.
• It is built with proper HTML. Real headings, lists, tables and landmarks, so screen readers and other assistive technology can make sense of each page and skip through it.
• Every form field has a label that is properly attached to it, so a screen reader reads out what the field is for.
• Every image has alt text describing what it shows, and decorative artwork is hidden from screen readers rather than read out as noise.
• Every page declares that it is in British English, so screen readers pronounce it correctly.
• It works on a phone. The layout reflows down to small screens without you having to scroll sideways or pinch to read.
• Nothing moves, plays or interrupts. No autoplaying video or audio, no pop-ups, no carousels that slide away before you have read them.
• No cookie banner. Not because we hid it — this site sets no cookies and runs no analytics or tracking, so there is nothing to ask you about and nothing in your way. Our cookies page explains this in full.
• Body text is high contrast. The main text is dark ink on white or cream, which we have measured comfortably past the WCAG AA threshold for readability.

What we know is not right yet

This is a new site. We have checked it ourselves, and that checking turned up things we have not fixed yet. Rather than quietly leave them off this page, here they are:

• Some gold text and buttons do not have enough contrast. The small gold headings above each section, and the white text on the gold buttons, fall below the WCAG AA contrast threshold. The main body text is unaffected, but if you find those elements hard to read, that is on us and not on you.
• There is no "skip to content" link. If you use a keyboard or a screen reader, you currently have to tab through the whole menu on every page before reaching the text. We know this is annoying and it is on the list.
• Smooth scrolling is not switched off for people who prefer reduced motion. If you have asked your device to reduce animation, this site does not yet fully honour that when jumping between sections.
• Wide tables scroll sideways on a phone. On our pricing page, the cost tables are too wide for a small screen, so you swipe them left and right inside their own box. The rest of the page does not move.

None of these stop you contacting us, and none of them affect the advice you get. If any of them are getting in your way, tell us and we will move them up the list.

How accessible is this site, formally?

We are not going to claim a standard we have not been tested against.

The recognised benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. We have built this site with those guidelines in mind, and we have checked it ourselves against them. It has not been independently audited, and we have not had a formal conformance assessment carried out. So we are not saying this site is WCAG 2.2 AA compliant — we are saying we have aimed at it, found the gaps listed above, and are honest about the fact that a proper audit would probably find more.

Formal conformance status: [to be confirmed]

For context, a private law firm's website is not covered by the public sector accessibility regulations, so nobody requires us to publish this page at all. We publish it because a firm that says it writes in plain English should be reachable by everyone, and because telling you what is broken is more use to you than a badge.

If this site does not work for you

You do not have to use the website to be our client. The website is one way in, not the way in.

Ring us, or come to the office, and we will take your details, explain your options and get on with it. If you would find it easier, we can:

• Take the whole enquiry over the phone, so you never touch a form.
• Go through it in person at our Levenshulme office, on one of south Manchester's busiest high streets and a short bus ride from Longsight, Burnage and Fallowfield.
• Send our letters and documents in large print, or in another format that suits you better.
• Read a document to you over the phone, or go through it with you in the office.
• Speak to a family member, friend or support worker helping you, if you tell us that is what you want.

Office access: [step-free access and facilities — to be confirmed]

Telling us about a problem

If something on this site does not work for you, we want to know. It is the only way we find out about the things our own checking missed.

Contact us using any of the routes above, or through our contact page, and tell us what happened. It helps if you can say which page you were on, what you were trying to do, and what device or software you were using — but do not worry if you cannot. Tell us in whatever way is easiest and we will work it out.

We answer enquiries within one working day. If we can fix the problem quickly we will, and if it is going to take longer we will tell you that and tell you how to get what you needed in the meantime.

Reasonable adjustments

Accessibility does not stop at the website. If you need something changed about the way we work with you, tell us when you first get in touch and we will sort it out.

That might be a longer appointment because you need more time. It might be a ground-floor meeting, an interpreter, a British Sign Language interpreter, letters in large print, a preference for phone over email or email over phone, or bringing someone with you. It might be something we have not thought of — ask anyway.

You do not need to explain yourself, produce evidence, or use any particular words. Just tell us what would help. We will not charge you extra for it.