Summer Students

This summer we were lucky to be able to employ nine summer students part-time to enable us to run our services over the summer break. During these months, our summer students took on case work, which for many included representation at courts and tribunals, and helped keep our project work going. In particular, our Environmental Justice Project flourished through the research work of our summer students, including Dylan Wright, who is our newly appointed EJP coordinator. This has allowed us to grow our work in this area, as well as our relationships with partner organisations and individuals. Furthermore, one of our summer students, Heather Dickson, took the role of this years’ Scottish Womens’ Rights Centre itern. You can hear about her summer in this exciting role via the following link: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/updates/scottish-womens-rights-centre-internship

This year, the summer students were:

• Ava Ferguson
• Corey Beaton
• Dylan Wright
• Gordon Gow
• Hannah Stewart
• Heather Dickson
• Jessica Jayan
• Lauren Weetman
• Saeed Azodazad

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Alumni Fund for supporting us in helping to finance two of these very necessary roles, as well as all of our incredible summer students for their hard work and dedication.

“Spending the summer at the clinic has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve been blessed to be part of such a welcoming and friendly workplace environment, where I eagerly looked forward to my days at the office. The flexible hours, along with the unlimited tea, coffee, and snacks, made the experience even more enjoyable. The supervisors were incredibly supportive and approachable, always ready to offer guidance and share their expertise. I was also fortunate to be allocated to a wide variety of cases, each offering a unique learning opportunity. One of the highlights was having the opportunity to represent my first SSSC hearing alongside my best friend, a responsibility we stepped into at the last minute—an experience that wouldn’t have been possible if I weren’t a summer student. If I’m lucky enough, I hope to have the privilege of returning to the clinic next year to continue this incredible journey.”

Jessica Jayan, Training Co-ordinator and Summer Student

Retirement of our Clinical Director

We sadly said goodbye to our Clinical Director, Kathleen Laverty, this summer as she embarks on her retirement. We celebrated by hosting an event which was exceptionally well attended and included family, student advisors and colleagues past and present, as well as fellow practitioners from across the country. It was an evening worthy of Kate’s career.

If you would like to hear Kate’s thoughts on retirement you can do so here: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/updates/farewell-from-our-clinic-director

We hope you will join us in wishing Kate all the best for her retirement!

The clinic continues to operate as normal under the leadership of our staff: Legal Supervisors, Gillian Melville and Kathleen Bolt, CLLB Director, Rhonda Wheate and Administrator, Diane Inglis.

Events

REACH Advocacy Training

Over the summer, we hosted a training session on a human-rights based approach towards representation by Reach Advocacy who carried out a training session on a human-rights based approach towards representation. The session was coordinated by our training team, and was attended by a number of our student advisors. You can read more about the session from Corey:

It was a pleasure to attend Wednesday’s training session, delivered by REACH Advocacy, on taking a human rights-based approach to advocacy. As a law clinic which provides legal support in areas which relate either exclusively or tangentially to the fundamental, basic rights which we are all afforded by virtue of our humanity, the importance of this kind of approach to advocacy was deeply appreciated by all in attendance. We look forward to incorporating this into our practice going forward and strengthening our relationship with REACH Advocacy to deliver a high-quality, human rights-based service for our clients.

Corey Beaton, Student Director

Visit from Lord Reed

On 24 June 2024, we had the great honour of welcoming Lord Reed, the current President of the UK Supreme Court, to the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.

We are indebted to Lord Reed for giving his time to our organisation, and for his invaluable contributions in discussion of access to justice, and the services we provide at the clinic.

You can read more about his visit here: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/updates/strathclyde-law-clinic-welcomes-lord-reed-an-afternoon-with-the-uk-supreme-court-president

European Network for Clinical Legal Education Conference

We are passionately committed to providing a Clinical Legal Education for our student advisors. Our students gain invaluable knowledge and experience through directly delivering legal services to our clients, whether as part of their Clinical LLB, or the standard LLB degree.

To help us achieve this, we are involved in the European Network of Clinical Legal Education. Our involvement in this network gives us the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with other academics, lawyers, and legal advice organisations from across Europe. This helps us not only to continuously improve the standard of our teaching and learning practices, but also the legal services provided to our clients.

This year Gillian, one of our legal supervisors attended the ENCLE annual conference and delivered a session on working with: “Students as Partners”. Her talk explored the impact of breaking down power dynamics to create a ‘partnership’ approach between teachers and students in Clinical Legal Education. If you are interested in hearing more, the abstract for Gillian’s session is below:

Students as Partners (SaP) is a growing theory of learning and education that is gaining traction with many teachers and students in higher education. At its heart is the idea that students are not merely passive consumers to whom it is the teacher’s job to impart knowledge, but rather agents of their own learning.Some studies have shown that students, when working as partners with educators, can co-create ideas and knowledge that can be applied not only to enhance their own education, but to improve current teaching/learning methods overall. Similarly, Clinical Legal Education is a progressive educational ideology and pedagogy that engages students beyond the traditional didactic teaching models, and encourages them to apply knowledge to real life situations. At Strathclyde Law Clinic, students work together on real cases in pairs, and work closely with their supervisor. This tends to result in students and staff becoming more like colleagues than teacher and student. However, despite the personal and professional benefits, there remain barriers to participation. These can be practical barriers but also emotional barriers.The concept of partnership reshapes what has been traditionally an unequal relationship between staff and students. Bovill, Cook-Sather and Felten have defined true student-faculty partnership as a “reciprocal process whereby all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to the learning process” (2014).This lightening talk will share some of the findings from a literature review, and will discuss power dynamics as a barrier to participation for both staff and students, and explore the potential overlap between barriers to participation in SaP with those in Clinical Legal Education

Strategy Day

In September, the law clinic’s Executive Committee got together for a Strategy Day. One of our Student Directors, Corey Beaton, provides summary of the day below:

It was a pleasure to facilitate the Law Clinic’s strategy day – its first in two years – to plan ahead for the next three years of our measured growth and sustainability of what we currently provide.

The energy and engagement from those who participated are testament to the passion and drive that we as a committee have for continuing to ensure that our capacity continues to meet with the demand for our services whilst also ensuring that we continue to develop and enhance the high-quality services that we offer to all of our clients.  

These outcomes could not have been reached without our collective purpose, vision, and mission being so deeply embedded into the culture of our Clinic and embodied by all of its members in all that they do to improve access to justice for those we support. The Student Director team looks forward to presenting the outcomes of the strategy day to the Executive Committee for approval in the coming weeks.

Student Advisor Academic Successes

From internships and training contracts to marathon training and travelling, our student advisors have been busy over the summer months! That commitment to success is no better showcased that by the Law School awards Incredibly, our Student Advisors have topped every year group in the last academic year. Congratulations to all our student advisors for their hard work and exemplary academic achievements!

• Allana Williams – Top of CLLB (Year 1) and top of Year 1 overall.
• Lauren Weetman – Top of CLLB (Year 2)
• Callum Butterworth – Top of CLLB (Year 2 Graduate Entry) and top of Year 2 overall.
• Afton Cook – Top of CLLB (Year 3)
• Katy Li – Top of CLLB (Graduate Entrant Year 3) and top of Year 3 overall.
• Laura Nicol – Top of CLLB (Honours)
• Maya Bedi – Top of Honours year overall.

by Heather Dickson

One of the highlights of my time at the Strathclyde Law Clinic has undoubtedly been my involvement in the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) project. I was therefore delighted to undertake an internship with the SWRC over the summer. It was a great opportunity which allowed me to learn from the legal team at Just Right Scotland and spend time with the advocacy team at Rape Crisis Scotland. The experience I gained has been incredibly valuable and I know it will help me throughout the rest of my legal career.

Throughout the summer, I was able to massively develop my practical legal skills. I learnt how to use case management systems, draft court documents and take effective meeting notes. My research skills were also strengthened. I was given the task to begin scoping out the development of accessible legal guides explaining to service users how to self-represent in legal proceedings. With the current legal aid crisis forcing many marginalised people to face court alone, I’m sure these guides will be extremely beneficial for women in Scotland.

What I also found very interesting was shadowing solicitors and advocacy works on the SWRC helpline or during legal callbacks to service users. I quickly came to realise that gender-based violence can impact all aspects of everyday life and so the list of legal issues that women can experience is extensive. This highlighted to me just how important the SWRC is in ensuring access to justice to survivors/women who often feel unsupported by the law.

My favourite thing about this internship has got to be working with everyone, not just at the SWRC, but across the whole of Just Right Scotland. I felt a part of the team almost instantly, being invited to staff meetings or lunches and receiving lots of helpful career (and travel) advice! It has certainly made the idea of lawyers and law firms a lot less daunting. I can’t wait to continue working with everyone as I take on the role of SWRC coordinator within the Strathclyde Law Clinic this academic year. I would also encourage both new and existing advisors to get involved with this exciting project in the coming year!

Two of our student advisors (Fiona Rennie and Scott Gillanders) have created resources which aim to assist SSSC workers who are subject to a fitness to practice investigation. Many low paid SSSC workers cannot afford a solicitor and cannot obtain legal aid for a fitness to practice hearing. The resources cover various topics including registration conditions and suspension orders and provide advice on preparing for a fitness to practice hearing.

One of our advisors who helped to create the resources, Fiona Rennie, has worked on several SSSC cases at the Law Clinic. She found that each case she worked on highlighted the level of unmet legal need in this area. She explained that: “SSSC proceedings can have a significant impact on a person’s employment and wellbeing. It can be extremely daunting for a worker to navigate the process and not be represented. Unfortunately, we cannot take on all the SSSC clients who ask for our help, I hope that these resources will help those who are unrepresented to feel more prepared when dealing with SSSC proceedings.”

This project was funded by our Alumni fund and you can find our resources here: https://www.lawclinic.org.uk/scottish-social-services-council-sssc-fitness-to-practice-resources

Today, Thursday 15 August 2024, we say goodbye to Kathleen Laverty, as she leaves her role as Clinic Director after almost 18 years with us at the Law Clinic, and embarks on retirement.

Below are a few words from Kate…

“After almost 18 years with the Law Clinic it is time to say goodbye. The Law Clinic has been a huge part of my life and in so many ways it feels like yesterday since my first days. The beginning saw me being chief cook and bottle washer- answering the phone, arranging client appointments, supervising casework and fighting my way to a desk amidst the melee of students who loved to congregate in our one room in the Lord Hope building. It was the kind of chaos I thrived in but I was ever grateful for each new person who was added to the team. I have worked with so many terrific students over that time, so many of whom gave so much of their time and energy to do their utmost for their clients, and they are still doing the same today. They push themselves out of their comfort zones and show immense courage in what they do. This has never ceased to encourage and inspire me in my role. I have also worked with brilliant colleagues, in the Law School and the Law Clinic, and I could never wish for better team mates than Kathleen, Gillian and Diane. Each and every one are so good at what they do but they are also supportive, collaborative and a lot of fun. Although the Law Clinic has in many ways changed beyond recognition since those first days, at it’s heart it has never lost sight of its main purpose, to help improve access to justice in the best way we can. While I am moving on to a new life of retirement, full of excitement about what that will bring, I will miss all the people who are the Law Clinic. I am leaving behind a dynamic, flourishing and ever committed group of people and I very much look forward to hearing all about their achievements in the years to come.”

We thank Kate for her many years of service, and unwavering dedication to our clinic, our clients, our students and access to justice. I hope you will all join us in wishing her well in retirement!

On Monday 20th May, Strathclyde held the annual Scottish Universities Law Clinic Network Conference (SULCN). This is an initiative which works to bring together and raise awareness of student law clinics in Scotland. This year’s conference brought advisors and pro bono volunteers from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and across Glasgow to the University of Strathclyde, to explore this years’ theme – Student Representation in Law Clinics: Building Skills and Addressing Fears.

Workshop 1: Teamwork
As the theme of this year’s conference was focused on representation: building skills and addressing fears, our new student director team delivered a workshop on teamwork.
Team work plays a crucial part in representation in most Law Clinics and this workshop was aimed at enhancing teamworking skills. This workshop was broken down into three different exercises all of which were designed to explore issues arising from teamwork, give an insight into team dynamics and behaviour and to explore techniques and skills to enhance team work. The exercises were very interactive and explored themes such as collaborative working, decision making, and resolving difficulties.
We hope this workshop helped our attendees to work more effectively in teams and to develop skills such as collaboration and communication.

Workshop 2: Representation
During the 40-minute session, we delved into the fears and complex dynamics associated with representation. Participants discovered that these fears are widespread among advisors, fostering a sense of shared experience and mutual support as they faced these challenges together.

The session used methods learned from David McQuoid Mason, a celebrated South African Clinical legal expert, to explore useful techniques to assert your position in diverse scenarios such as judicial mediation, client representation, and negotiations with solicitors. We emphasised the importance of quick thinking and adaptability, highlighting tools that help to craft persuasive, client-centred arguments. This reflective approach not only enhanced participants’ practical skills but also boosted their confidence in handling real-world situations.

The session successfully fostered an engaging environment where advisors felt comfortable openly discussing and addressing their fears related to representation.

Panel Discussion: Fears in representation
Following the interactive sessions we were very fortunate to have legal practitioners and students with experience of representation, join us in a discussion about how they addressed their fears and what tips they might have for students preparing to represent.

The panel consisted of:
• Kirstie Webb – a Strathclyde Law Clinic alumna who recently qualified as a solicitor following a traineeship at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
• Margot Nicol – a sole practitioner in Stranraer with Nicol Harvey & Pierce Solicitors, with a wealth of experience across various disciplines including criminal and family law.
• Employment Tribunal Judge David Hoey – a Strathclyde alumnus with experience in practice and on the bench in Employment Law
• Adam Crainie – one of our current student advisors, who has represented our clients on several occasions in forums such as the Housing and Property Chamber and Sheriff Court.
• Lauren Weetman – one of our current student advisors, Lauren is part of our Initial Advice Clinic team and has experience representing clients in SSSC fitness to practice hearings as well as recently completing a 5.5 day merits hearing at the Employment Tribunal.
The discussion took the form of a Q&A with each panel member sharing invaluable advice and experiences with Corey Beaton, our current student Director, doing an excellent job of chairing. We discussed how to prepare for hearings, what lessons our panel had to learn the hard way, and what they took from their university and pro bono experiences into their profession.

Key note speech: Employment Tribunal Judge David Hoey
Judge Hoey shared his experience and career history whilst giving detailed and insightful advice on how best to prepare for hearings from the perspective of the bench. Many of our attendees agreed that this advice was incredibly useful for preparing to represent clients, both in hearings and generally. From pet peeves to be avoided when dealing with the judges and the courts, to the big ‘must-do’s’, Judge Hoey’s talk will be taken into many attendees’ future careers!

With many thanks to all attendees who contributed so enthusiastically, to all our excellent panel and speakers, workshop facilitators and organisers.