Recent News

Climate Discussion

Prof Francesco Sindico visited the Law Clinic to talk with our students about his work and to discuss ideas for our environmental justice project. Prof Sindico is a Professor of International environemntal Law at Strathclyde, and works on a number of innovative projects in environmental law; he is the director of the Climate Change Legal Intitiative, the Co-chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, and is the Co-chair of the International Water Resources Association.

His knowledge and experience proved highly useful for those who attended, giving greater insight to his work and how Law Clinic can contribute. He talked about his work with the Scottish Government, in particular the Islands, Nature and Renewable Energy Project, where he helps islands work towards becoming carbon neutral.

“Dr Sindico gave an inspiring discussion on his work on behalf of the Scottish government and his work in the International Court of Justice”

Alison Duncan

Clinic Merch

We are thrilled to announce that the Law Clinic has extended our branding to include an array of stylish merchandise! Our office team has done an excellent job of modelling the new designs. These include a ¼ zip fleece, t-shirt, hat, tote bag and hoodies. There is something for everyone!

Our orders are in and we look forward to seeing our students and staff sporting their new purchases around Glasgow.

Training

January has proven to be an exceptionally busy month of training featuring housing, employment advocacy and introductory training for those partaking in the MOJO project. Thanks so much to Jasleen and Anna from the training team for putting these together and all involved in taking the sessions.

Employment Advocacy Training with Weightmans – by Anna Gren

The Law Clinic recently hosted solicitors from Weightmans, Erin Moncur, Morag Dalziel, Paman Singh and Zoe Kerr to provide Employment Tribunal Advocacy training. A large majority of the cases the clinic deal with are employment related, and so this training provided a great insight into how the tribunal operates and how to effectively advocate for your client.

The session covered all aspect of tribunal advocacy, from examination-in-chief to cross-examination and finally re-examination. It was beneficial to hear the types of questions you would ask in each situation and we even got to give it a go ourselves!

As I’m sure everyone who attended will agree, the training was a great, interactive session that will definitely be useful to advisors attending hearings in the future. A huge thank you to everyone involved!

Miscarriage of Justice Organisation Training – by Rowan Brockie

The Miscarriages of Justice Organisation has recently recruited student advisors from the Strathclyde law clinic to join its volunteer ranks as part of our Criminal Justice Project. Our advisors have spent the last three weeks completing three six-hour training sessions putting in 18 total hours to be qualified as caseworkers.

The fantastic sessions led by Euan McIlvride covered MOJO as a victim support organisation, the process of appeals within the criminal justice system, looking over past cases and the role of MOJO within assisting innocent people who have been wrongfully convicted. Since spending their month learning about the organisation, our student advisors have now begun to take on their own case applications.

Upcoming Training:

Case Surgery – No topic Session – Wednesday 21st February 2024 12:00-13:00

Simple Procedure Training with Patrick Campbell Corcoran – Wednesday 28^th February 2024 14:00-16:00

Case Surgery – Ethics – how to manage when personal ethics challenged by client/case – Wednesday 6th March – 12:00-13:00

SSSC Training with Laura Russel – Wednesday 6^th March 2024 14:00-16:00

Imposter Syndrome Session with John Stringer – Wednesday 13^th March 2024 14:00-16:00

Case Surgery – Conflict of Interest- how to identify and manage – Wednesday 20th March 2024 12:00-13:00

Case Updates

January has been a month full of successes for our clients and student advisors.

SSSC Actions:

• Our student represented one of our clients in a SSSC Case Management discussion in preparation for an impairment hearing
• Students successfully defended a SSSC action for a client, allowing her to clear her name.

Discrimination Cases:

• Student advisors recently settled a disability discrimination case that was due to call at the employment tribunal.
• Students representing a claimaint in the Employment Tribunal submitted further documentation relating to a disability discrimination claim.
• Student representing a client settled a sex discrimination claim at Judicial Mediation.

Other:

• Progress was made in a new Simple Procedure Claim where there has been difficulty serving the claim.

Advisor & Alumni News

Our student advisors from past and present have been exceptionally busy this month, from running marathons to being nominated for awards. Huge congratulations to all those mentioned for your great successes.

Paige Alexander and Laura Nicol – two of our fantastic student directors have recently signed up for the Lisbon Marathon in October and have been competing in running events. Laura has just completed her first solo running event, a 10k in Edinburgh and achieved a personal best! Paige also ran her first-ever half-marathon event over the weekend in Glasgow Green! If you want to follow along with their running journey, check out their Instagram @laura_n_p_run.

Eva Ralston – One of our student advisors and members of the prisons project has been nominated for the Kat Lindner Award for Outstanding Academic and Athletic Achievement at the Scottish Women’s Football Awards! This award recognises female footballers who excel both on and off the pitch, and it is in memory of Kat, who was both an academic and a footballer in Glasgow. Eva plays for Stenhousemuir Women in Scottish League One, and her team is challenging for promotion this season.

“It was a complete surprise and a very pleasant one at that, as I was nominated alongside some incredible professional players who also have a career outside of the game… it is quite intense alongside my final year, but it offers a great escape from level 1 of the library!”

Eva Ralston

Her incredible successes have led to recognition by the PLZ women’s football show! Check out the link to view her full interview – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RfV06s0Gqg.

Initial Advice Clinic – Volunteer Solicitors Needed!

We are still recruiting for qualified solicitors who are interested in volunteering at our IACs which are currently held once a fortnight, on Wednesday Evenings.

What are IACs?

Our IACs are our drop-in legal surgeries which are held as an alternative to our main casework stream. Appointments are scheduled with a team consisting of one solicitor and one student, with the expectation that during the 30 minute appointment slot, the student will work the client through a triage form, before the solicitor gives advice to the client. Appointments can be held both in-person and via zoom.

What practice areas do you cover?

As with all of our casework, the most common issues we deal with are employment, housing, consumer and SSSC. There are usually several solicitors on duty and our IAC team will strive to ensure cases are allocated to solicitors which have the most relevant experience.

We are in particular need of solicitors specialising in Housing Law, Commercial Law or those that can offer general advice on a wide range of areas.

How do I get involved?

If you are interested in getting involved, or would like more information, please contact our Depute IAC Student Co-ordinator: lauren.weetman.2021@uni.strath.ac.uk

Please send details of your employment history (a CV would be great) and we will then get in touch to discuss further.

The Asylum Project Success

Public Legal Education

Our TAP Team recently carried out their first PLE session to a community group in the North of Glasgow. This has been a long time in the making, with lots of hard work, research and preparation going in to the session.

Asylum Status

This month we heard news of 3 of our TAP clients being granted status. Two of these cases have run since 2018, with numerous advisors working on them in the 5 years since we took them on. This is a great result for our clients…

Case Work

We recently represented in a Housing Tribunal case where the students Scott and Jasleen were successful in obtaining a wrongful termination order and an award of £2,000 for their client.

Alumni News

Of the seven new Solicitor Advocates appointed by the Law Society this year, three are Clinic Alumni: Paman Singh, Jillian Merchant and Patrick Campbell Corcoran. Congratulations to each of them for this achievement, and thank you for your contribution to the law clinic!

You can read more about the appointment below:

https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/new-solicitor-advocates-welcomed-in-30th-anniversary-year

Festive Period

In addition to all the hard work out advisors have been putting in throughout December, between clinic work and exams, we have also managed to fit in some fun! We hosted a Christmas Tree decorating social at the end of November, and rounded off the year with a Christmas Office Party and Quiz!

Awards

This month we were lucky enough to be shortlisted for two events: The GlasgowTimes Community Champion Awards (Public Service Award) and the Herald Law Awards of Scotland (Pro Bono Award). On the 15th of November, our Student Director team attended the Herald LawAwards evening, and we are delighted to share that we won!

Casework 

SSSC

Lauren Weetman and Jess Jayan, student advisors, were successful in their first SSSC Fitness to Practice hearing where they succeeded in achieving an excellent outcome for their client with a finding that there was no impairment in their Fitness to Practice.

Client Donation

We received terrific feedback from one of our clients who donated generously to the Clinic as a gesture of gratitude for the  work of the students involved who were Casey Wilson, Emily Galagher and Gordon Gow.

“thank you for everything you have done for me, I could not have achieved this outcome without your assistance, you all have been very professional and will do great in whatever you go on to do, The service that the law clinic offered me was outstanding” .

Events

Annual General Meeting

We reviewed our Annual Report, celebrated achievements from the past year, and celebrated the dedication and successes of our advisors, as well as welcoming our newly graduated Student Advisors.

Our Annual Report is available now on the clinic website via the link below: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/publications/annual-reports/attachment/annual-report-2022-23-2

Each and every contribution culminates in the successes and statistics contained in our annual report, so thank you to everyone that has contributed to Clinic Work over the past year!

Pro Bono Week

To celebrate Pro Bono Week we published a number of articles by our advisors and supervisors on the impact of our work and the importance of pro bono more generally. You can read the articles below: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/news

We also had a number of our advisors travel down to London for the Probonoskills.com event hosted by Akin, Gump Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP.  The event included a talk by Dame Elizabeth Gardner KC (Hon) on the impact of pro bono on parliament, the legal profession and the public at large. You can read more about it in our article: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/updates/pro-bono-week-london-trip

To wrap up our Pro Bono Week celebrations, one of our Student Advisors, who also acts as one of two of our PBS Student Ambassadors, Anna Gren, was invited to join the panel at the SYLA x PBS Pro Bono Week Event in Edinburgh, hosted by CMS. Anna was joined on the panel by a trainee solicitor, and an Advocate, Emma Boffey, who also happens to be Strathclyde Law Clinic Alumni! You can read more about this event in the following article: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/updates/advisor-news-syla-x-probonoskills-com-panel

Training 

In October, we welcomed 45 new advisors to the law clinic. Over four sessions, the cohort was given an overview of essential process, procedure, skills  and resources used in the clinic, everyday. These sessions included:

• Interview Skills
• Legal Letter Writing
• Legal Research
• Ethics

We also welcomed Professor David McQuoid-Mason to the clinic where he held a Street Law Workshop and shared his experience and knowledge with some of our students.

In addition, we had the opportunity to attend a number of Employment Law Training Sessions with McGrade & Co on harrasment and whistleblowing as well as Employment Law and teamwork sessions from our Supervisors. We are looking forward to welcoming Ben Christman, solicitor at the LSA, to the Clinic at the end of the month to provide a training session on Housing Law 

Advisor News

Law School Prizegiving 

A number of our advisors received a prize at this year’s event, including our Student Directors, Paige and Cara, who were awarded the Robson Prize for Outstanding Contribution to the Law School. Advisors who received an award include:

• Paige Alexander
• Cara Hope
• Fiona Rennie
• Adam Crainie
• Isla Kasapidis 
• Niamh McLaughlin
• Megan Buggy

Shadow Opportunity – Eva Ronnie

One of our supporters, Solicitor Margot Nicol, kindly offered one of our students the opportunity to shadow her at Glasgow Sheriff court. This is what she had to say about the experience:-

“I was recently given the opportunity to shadow Margot Nicol, a sole practitioner in Stranraer, at the Sheriff court in Glasgow for a criminal trial. Due to the nature of the case, this was not open to the public , so permission was granted by the Sheriff to allow me to be in the courtroom for the trial. This was an invaluable experience, allowing me to witness first hand the work of both Margot and the procurator fiscal during the proceedings and to observe the interactions between all those working in court throughout the stages of the trial. Discussing the steps Margot has taken to reach this point in her career was also very interesting. I would encourage anyone interested in the court system to visit their local court.”

Research Internship – Anthony Kelly 

Anthony Kelly, one of our experienced advisors, was successful in gaining a research internship with the Law School during the summer.

“This summer, I had a research internship with the University of Strathclyde, completing a research poster entitled: “Miscarriages of Justice: the Role of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (’SCCRC’) and the High Court of Justiciary. My research examined appeals against conviction on reference from the SCCRC. I’m so pleased that my final presentation has recently been awarded two prizes: The Research Interns @ Strathclyde Public Vote Award and the Principal’s Award.”

Other News

Black History Month

October was Black History Month, to recognise this, our EDI Officer, Corey Beaton, shared some thoughts on what the month means:

“Black History Month is a time to honour the achievements, contributions, and resilience of Scotland’s Black community. We should all be using this month to educate ourselves, celebrate diversity, and amplify Black voices and talents. Celebrating Black history is not limited to one month – it’s a year-round commitment.”

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice

As a Law Clinic who has signed the Climate Pledge, this year for Global Day of Action we asked our advisors to share their thoughts on the Climate Crisis and this year’s theme of a right to a healthy environment. 

As a law clinic, we ask you to appreciate and respect the environment around you to help yourself, others, and future generations achieve a healthy environment.

You can watch the video by following the below link:

https://clipchamp.com/watch/qepMyt7RliD

16 Days of Activism for Gender-Based Violence Campaign

25^th November was International day for the Elimination of Violence against women, and it also marked the beginning of the 16 days of Activism. The 16 days of Activism against Gender Based violence is a global campaign that aims to ends violence against women and girls. The campaign calls for collective action to prevent and respond to gender- based violence. The campaign will finish on 10^th December – Human Rights Day. 

To mark the campaign, the SWRC held a stand in Strathclyde Union in the hope of raising awareness of the 16 days of Activism and the work that the SWRC carry out. Some of our advisors also participated in the Fight for the Night on 29th November 2023. This is an organised march through Glasgow streets to demand action to make streets safer and show solidarity with survivors of rape and sexual assault.

By Anna Gren

Last Tuesday, I travelled through to the CMS office in Edinburgh to speak on behalf of the Clinic and ProBonoSkills.com (PBS) about the Pro Bono work I am involved in. This event was coordinated by the Scottish Young Lawyers Association in connection with Pro Bono Week 2023.

The key theme was “Changing Lives Through Pro Bono” and we discussed the importance of doing Pro Bono work in the legal field, especially with the decline of Legal Aid support.

I was joined by an advocate, Emma Boffey and trainee, Jay Elder, who also offered an interesting insight into how Pro Bono has transformed their careers.

A key takeaway from the discussion personally was a statement made by Emma. From the minute we become law students, we are highly skilled individuals with the ability to help those in less fortunate positions than ourselves. Spending a few hours a week might not mean much to us, but for many of our clients, it means the world. This really reinforced the positive impact we as students can have on the wider community and the importance of offering the services we do at the Clinic.

In an ideal world, Pro Bono work would not exist due to sufficient funding in the legal sector. However, this is not the case and we as students have a real opportunity to make an impact with the work we do. It takes someone with real drive and passion to advocate for others, and this discussion emphasised the significance of getting involved.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in the event. It was a great opportunity to discuss something which I believe is fundamental in the legal field.

By Anna Gren

On the 9th of November, myself and four other advisors from the Clinic travelled down to London for a Pro Bono Week event hosted by Probonoskills.com at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, featuring a talk from Dame Elizabeth Gardner KC (Hon), parliamentary counsel.

The event offered a great insight into the work law clinics are doing across the country as well as the work practising solicitors and Parliament are doing to promote access to justice. Dame Elizabeth Gardiner stressed the importance of Pro Bono work in light of funding being cut for Legal Aid across the country, as those undertaking this work are a key element of the legal profession. Without law clinics and solicitors offering Pro Bono work, many clients would be left unrepresented, unheard and unable to move forward. Therefore, it is paramount that the work we do is accessible and digestible for all clients. 

Another key element of the discussion around Pro Bono work was how we define success. As quoted “don’t measure your success in wins and losses, but in the access to justice you are providing for your clients.” As advisors, it is important to remember that a win for a client may not always be a monetary value, but the feeling of being valued and listened to. Many clients will have nowhere else to turn and so by listening to and empathising with clients, this can already be a small win in their mind.

Pro Bono Week 2023 was centred around how Pro Bono work changes lives. By offering free legal advice and representation to clients, we are helping to overcome the barrier in accessing justice for clients in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. As the week draws to a close, it is important to remember the impact we as advisors have on the wider community and just how needed this work is. 

A big thanks to Probonoskills.com and Akin for arranging for us to attend. It was great to see all of the fantastic pro bono work going on in law clinics across the country!