There will be an IAC held in the Mitchell Library on the 1st of February 2012. This gives you the opportunity to receive initial advice from qualified solicitors on various areas of the law, free of charge.
There will be a Consumer Law presentation held in the University at 5.30pm the Graham Hills building in room GH716. This is an opportunity for all to attend and receive a presentation on Consumer Law and the rights that you have.
Due to unforseen circumstances the IAC on the 4th of January 2012 had been cancelled. We apologise for any inconcenience caused and will post a rescheduled date in due course.
The Law Clinic's first consumer workshop will be held on Monday 12th December at 5.30pm in the Law School (Room 714, Level 7, Graham Hills Building, 50 George Street ) The free workshop will cover consumer rights under the Sale of Goods Act and how to obtain a remedy, including how to raise a small claim.
The Law Clinic are now on Twitter and can be followed at @StrathLawClinic. You can keep up to date on all recent developments within the clinic and all our latest announcments.
The Schools Project is the Clinic's latest project, aiming to bring public legal education into schools and teach young people about the law and the ways in which it affects them through the use of interactive teaching methods. It is based upon the principle that people learn far better through such interactive methods than they do when they are simply lectured to. The Project is influenced by the teaching methods of Professor McQuoid-Mason who has founded and developed Street Law in South Africa.
The first presentation took place on Friday 11th November in front of a class of 26 second year pupils at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh. The overall aim of this presentation was to teach young people about the law affecting cyberbullying as this issue had been flagged up as a current problem within the school. We also discussed the complicated relationship between law and morality and were impressed by the pupils' ability to question aspects of the law on this level. This presentation included a debate, a mock trial and elements of role play and the pupils responded well to the interactive nature of the activities. Pupils and Law Clinic students participated with much enthusiasm, particularly during the mock trial in which the pupils performed their roles impressively.
We received positive feedback following this presentation and are now hoping to maintain good links with Hermitage Academy, hopefully returning to give further presentations. Furthermore, we are aiming to deliver presentations in Govan High School in early 2012.
If you have any queries regarding our Schools Project, please contact our Schools Project Manager, Rachel Leggett - rachel.leggett@strath.ac.uk
The Law Clinic will be holding an Initial Advice Centre (IAC) on the 14th November 2011 between 6.00pm and 7.30pm in the Graham Hills Building of the University.
This will be held on the 7th floor of the Graham Hills building in the university, and there will be signs directing you where to go.
The Initial Advice Centre will allow you to consult with a solicitor and obtain advice on your legal issue (excluding family and criminal law). For more information on the IAC's visit http://www.lawclinic.org.uk/iac.php
The Law Clinic are now accepting student applications to become student advisors.
Applications to the Law Clinic always exceed the number of advisor spaces available and as such entry to the clinic is determined by a decision as to each candidates relative suitability.
To apply, you must fill out an application form which can be downloaded, along with instructions from:
http://www.lawclinic.org.uk/apply2011.zip
If a blue bar appears underneath the address bar of your browser, click it and download the file. Save the zip file to your computer and access the application form and instructions.
The deadline for applications is the 2nd of October at 12pm. Completed applications should be emailed to hannah.cosgrove@strath.ac.uk
If you have any problems accessing the application pack, or filling it out, please email gary.thompson@strath.ac.uk
We are delighted to announce that our Director, Professor Donald Nicolson has been the proud recipient of an OBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Professor Nicolson has been recognised for his dedication and services to the legal profession, something which we all aim to echo within our work in the Law Clinic.
Donald has been a Professor in the Law School since 2000. Prior to his appointment here, he was involved as a student in the University of Cape Town Law Clinic and then taught law at the Universities of Cape Town, Reading, and Bristol, where he also set up and ran a law clinic, which continues to thrive, though not to the extent of our clinic!. In his role as founding director of the Law Clinic, Donald has acted as a mentor and consistently provided encouragement for all students involved in helping address the problem of access to justice. For this he was awarded a Life Changers Award from his union in 2008 and the Glasgow Evening News Community Champion (Central and West Glasgow) in 2010.
The Law Clinic are very proud of all of the work that Professor Nicolson has achieved and we are extremely privileged to be part of it.
The client came to the Law Clinic in June 2010 with a potential unfair dismissal case. Following a Disciplinary Hearing in November 2009, he had been dismissed for gross misconduct. His subsequent Appeal against his dismissal in March 2010 was unsuccessful. He therefore, submitted an ET1 Form and approached the Law Clinic to see if we could assist him in his case and possibly represent him at his Employment Tribunal Hearing. After looking at the case, the Law Clinic agreed to represent the client on the basis that he had been unfairly dismissed due to his employer’s failure to comply with proper procedure during the dismissal process. The evidence also suggested that the client’s actions had not amounted to gross misconduct.
The Employment Tribunal Hearing took place in December 2010 and was scheduled to last five days. After the respondent’s led their evidence, we cross examined each of their witnesses and successfully highlighted how they had failed to follow proper procedures when dismissing our client. We then led evidence from our client along with his Trade Union Representative in order to further illustrate the unfairness surrounding our client’s dismissal. We also demonstrated that the client’s actions did not constitute gross misconduct. In the end, the leading of witnesses only lasted two and a half days, after which both sides gave their closing arguments.
We waited three months for the findings of the Employment Tribunal Hearing. However, it was well worth the wait. The Tribunal found that our client been unfairly dismissed and awarded him a total of £69,358 in compensation.
He was absolutely delighted with this outcome, and continually maintained that the important aspect of this result was not the financial gain, but rather the satisfaction that the Tribunal had found him to be have been unfairly dismissed.
This case is just one of many examples where the Law Clinic and work of its advisers can make a visible difference in people’s lives. It is not about how much money we can achieve for our clients, but also about helping them with legal problems which would otherwise go unresolved. In short, it is about helping as many people as possible achieve access to justice.
Strathclyde Law Clinic Student Wins National LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro-Bono Award

Alasdair receiving his award from the Attorney General
Students and staff involved in the University of Strathclyde's award-winning Law Clinic travelled to London to attend the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards at the House of Commons on the 30th March 2011. The awards, organised by legal charity LawWorks and endorsed by Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC MP, recognise the contribution of law students to pro bono work- free legal services performed by lawyers for people who have difficulty affording fees.
The Law Clinic was extremely successful at the event, being shortlisted from over 52 submissions in two categories. These were Best Contribution by a Team of Students for the Clinic's pioneering Projects Team and Best Contribution by an Individual Student for Alasdair Stewart, the Clinic's Student Director and creator of the Clinic's innovative and groundbreaking online Case Management System.
Alasdair was a well deserved winner in the 'Individual' category, impressing the judges with his unwavering commitment and dedication to pro bono activities during his four years at university. In nominating Alasdair for the award, Law Clinic Director, Donald Nicolson, said, "In twenty years of Law Clinic experience, I have not met a student who has put more into pro bono activities than Alasdair Stewart. ... Over the last two years, I have been constantly able to call upon him, often at very short notice and late at night, for statistics and advice and suggestions on a variety of issues ranging from funding applications and project development to sensitive issues of ethics and management of occasional problems with and amongst the student advisors. Alasdair has proved wise beyond his years and has an amazing instinct for the right decision."
Event sponsors, legal publisher and information supplier LexisNexis, were so impressed with Alasdair's contribution to pro bono that they offered him the chance to take a trip to Canada in order to gain first-hand experience of pro bono activity on the other side of the Atlantic.
Alasdair said: "The pro bono work I've taken part in during the last four years has been challenging but also extremely rewarding when you realise the significant impact you can make on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I feel extremely privileged to have been involved in the Law Clinic at the University of Strathclyde and to have studied at a university that recognises the huge benefits of pro bono work for both communities and students."
The Law Clinic was the first student-led initiative of its kind in Scotland and its model is now being replicated in other universities as the recognition of the benefits of pro bono work to both students and the wider community spreads. Most impressively, Alasdair has offered to donate his award-winning Case Management System to other university Law Clinics free of charge in order to ensure that the pro bono movement truly takes root north of the border.
At an award ceremony held at Strathclyde Police's Pitt Street HQ last night, Professor Donald Nicolson won the Evening Times Community Champion Public Service Individual Award for the Glasgow Central & West region.
The awards, run by the Evening Times, celebrate the work of individuals and teams across Glasgow who are making a difference to the local community. Professor Nicolson was nominated for his work promoting pro bono legal services within the University of Strathclyde and the wider legal profession.
He founded the Law Clinic at the University of Strathclyde in 2003, and has been the Clinic Director for the past seven years. In that time he has helped to motivate hundreds of students to take on hundreds of cases and fight for some of the most vulnerable individuals across Glasgow. He has overseen the expansion of the Law Clinic from a small group of 20 students, to over 200 students providing legal advice and representation today, and ensured the funding is in place to employ staff and solicitors to support the students' work.
Professor Nicolson has also worked to promote pro bono within the Scottish legal profession, regularly speaking on the opportunities for solicitors at several conferences throughout the UK. More recently, he has been part of the steering committee to setup LawWorks Scotland, an organisation designed to promote and co-ordinate pro bono projects within Scotland.
Speaking after the event, Professor Nicolson said "While it is a great honour to receive this award, the award should really go to all of the students and staff involved in the Law Clinic, who work tirelessly every year working on behalf of nearly 200 clients to provide them with the legal advice and representation they otherwise wouldn't receive".
University of Strathclyde Law Clinic students have been shortlisted for two awards this year in the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards 2010.
The Law Clinic's student committee has been shortlisted in the Team of Students Award and our Development Officer, Liam MacLean, has also been shortlisted for the Best Contribution by an Individual Student Award.
Last year, which was the first year that activities outside England and Wales were eligible for the awards, the Law Clinic and its students were nominated in three categories, and the Law Clinic won the award for the Best Contribution by a Law School. Given our success last year, we are looking forward to the awards this year which will be held in the House of Lords on Tuesday 30 March 2010 where the winners will be announced.
Professor Donald Nicolson, Director of the Law Clinic, said: "Each year the Law Clinic continues to expand and improve thanks to the dedication and commitment of our 200 volunteer student advisors. It is great that the hard work and success of our Law Clinic students has been recognised for the second year in a row with the two nominations".
Video of the 2009 awards, where the Attorney General Baroness Scotland presented our award for Best Contribution by a Law School to Law Clinic Director Professor Donald Nicolson and Student Director Helen Bain:
Source: LawWorks / HumanRightsTV
Kenny MacAskill MSP meets with staff and students.
Mr MacAskill speaking with Professor Nicolson, our SD and External Relations Officer.
A student advisor discusses her work with Mr MacAskill.
CaseCheck speak to our Student Director - Scott McMaster.
Scott discussed a number of issues with CaseCheck, including funding and current ventures. The interview can be watched here.
Strathclyde Law Clinic hosts successful launch event for new projects.
The new projects launched by the Law Clinic are:
The successful event was highlighted in the Evening Times, The Firm, The Journal and on the BBC News website.
Part of the Law Clinic's student committee.
The Law Commission and Scottish Law Comission has quoted the Law Clinic's response on three occasions. This report can be read here.
Law Clinic launches free evening legal advice sessions in Glasgow
The first session is starting Wednesday 7 October 2009. Full details can be found on our website, http://www.lawclinic.org.uk/iac.php
University of Strathclyde Law Clinic shortlisted for Community Champion Public Service Team Award
The Law Clinic recently took part in a joint consultation by the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission. Having had considerable experience over the last five or so years in consumer cases involving faulty goods, four Clinic students (Felix Boon, Neil Campbell, Scott McMaster, and Katy McSkimming) wrote a response to the consultation paper on behalf of the Clinic. This was referred to frequently in the summary of responses to the Law Commissions' consultation and on two occasions the Law Clinic's submission were directly quoted (see at www.scotlawcom.gov.uk and www.lawcom.gov.uk).
We are extremely pleased that our views and contributions may help law reform in this area. Law reform is something that the Law Clinic is keen to be involved in, seeing its role not solely as a provider of legal advice and representation, but also as a proactive organisation that helps improve access to justice by every possible means, including being active in law reform.
The summary of responses can be accessed at http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/downloads/dps/dp139_responses_summary.pdf
The event was sponsored by legal publisher and information supplier LexisNexis.
Youngest lay representatives in Scotland to win a proof in the Sheriff Court.
The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has yet more success to celebrate!
The Law Clinic and its students have been shortlisted for three separate awards in the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards 2009.
Organised by LawWorks, the awards recognise the outstanding contribution made to pro bono work by law students and law schools.
The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic and our students are proud to have been nominated in three distinct categories:
Best Contribution by an Individual Student (Alasdair Stewart)
Best Contribution by a Team of Students (The Joint Committee, which runs the Law Clinic)
Best Contribution by a Law School (The Law Clinic itself)
The panel of judges was made up of Husnara Begum (Editor of Lawyer2B), Richard Grimes (Legal education consultant at Talkinglaw), Bob Heslett (Vice President of the Law Society of England & Wales) and Tom Laidlaw (Head of Academic Development at LexisNexis). The Attorney General then makes the award to the winner and runner-up in a ceremony at the end of March.
There will be an IAC held in the Mitchell Library on the 1st of February 2012.
Read more...
Consumer Presentation - 30 January 2012
There will be a Consumer Law presentation held in the University at 5.30pm the Graham Hills building in room GH716.
Read more...
IAC on 4th January 2011 Cancelled
Due to unforseen circumstances the IAC on the 4th January 2011 has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Read more...
Consumer Workshop 12th December 2011
The Law Clinic's first Consumer Workshop will be held at 5.30pm in the Law School in the Graham Hills Building (Room 714, Level 7, 50 George Street). This is free and open to all.
Read more...
Follow Us on Twitter!
The Law Clinic is now on Twitter, follow us @StrathLawClinic.
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Schools Project Runs for the First Time
The Schools Project is a new Project within the Law Clinic. Our first presentation to a School has now successfully taken place.
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Initial Advice Centre 14th November 2011
There will be an Initial Advice Centre held in the Graham Hills building of the University on the 15th November 2011.
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Law Clinic October Recruitment Now Open
Students can apply until 12pm on Sunday the 2nd of October 2011.
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Law Clinic Director to Get OBE
Law Clinic Director, Donald Nicolson, has been awarded an OBE as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
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Record Breaking Employment Tribunal Success
The Law Clinic helps Mr Letford receive £69,358 in compensation for unfair dismissal.
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