The annual Law Clinic AGM was hosted last night (Wednesday 28th October).  With a great turnout from both current and new members, the evening celebrated the past year’s successes – recognising the achievements of individual’s and the Clinic as a whole – as well as looking forward to the Clinic’s ambitions for the year ahead.

2015 seen the Clinic expand further towards it’s target of 300 student advisors, taking on new projects and staff members along the way.  In total, the Clinic worked on 382 cases in the past year across its direct client services, initial advice clinics and through online enquiries.  This number surpassed any previous year’s figures and has been testament to the hard work of the members and staff of the Clinic as well as its supporters. Over the year, we won or saved a total of £67,398.90 for our clients.

Project work is a major focus of the Clinic alongside its casework, and this year we welcomed Associate Members who dedicate their time solely to contributing to the success of these projects. With a diverse range of projects working in local schools, providing advice on housing issues, woman’s rights, immigration, criminal convictions and more, the Clinic’s portfolio is reaching wider than ever before.

2015 also seen ties forged with the University of Miami’s Health Rights Clinic. Benefitting from the comparative understanding of ethical issues arising across cultures, a strong working relationship has been formed, with ambassadors from both Universities taking time to travel to the other in an exchange of idea’s and working practices.

Continuing success domestically and increased collaboration with organisations and other Clinic’s both at home and abroad has facilitated organic expansion of the Clinic, and with a new intake of 68 Student Advisors as well as further Associate Members, the Clinic is set to go from strength to strength in the year ahead.

Rob McElroy

Communications Officer

FIRST EVER SPECIALIST LEGAL ADVICE SERVICE FOR SCOTTISH SURVIVORS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE 

New Centre aims to improve access to justice for women in Scotland

 

The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) is being launched today to ensure that women in Scotland who have or are experiencing gender based violence are able to access timely and appropriate legal advice and information.

From today, women will be able to call the new centre’s helpline for legal information and advice on any aspect of gender based violence.

The Centre is a partnership project between Rape Crisis Scotland, the University of Strathclyde and the Legal Services Agency, with the helpline staffed by volunteers from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.

The SWRC also plans to develop a network of pro-bono solicitors to offer drop in services in rape crisis centres across Scotland.

Rape Crisis Scotland spokeswoman Sandy Brindley said:

“Women in Scotland who have experienced rape, domestic abuse or any other form of violence against women need access to free, specialist legal advice and support.

“This could be to help make them aware of their rights to protective orders in cases of domestic abuse and/or stalking, advice on housing & welfare issues, or responding to queries about their role as a witness following the report of a rape or sexual assault.

“We are delighted to be involved in the development of this exciting new service, which we believe will make a significant difference to the lives of women in Scotland”.

The Centre is being launched by Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs.  Mr Wheelhouse said:

“Tackling the scourge of domestic abuse and sexual violence is a huge priority for the Scottish Government.  The helpline being introduced today, backed by £215,000 of Scottish Government funding and administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board, will provide vital access to advice and high quality legal assistance for those affected by these horrendous crimes. Today’s launch comes on the back of our recent announcement that £20 million will be made available over the next three years to support domestic abuse survivors and improve their access to justice.

“We are also protecting survivors by strengthening laws for victims and vulnerable witnesses, and we are currently consulting on a specific offence to tackle domestic abuse and measures to tackle sexual offences.

“Victims organisations, including Rape Crisis Scotland, play an invaluable role in supporting victims in the aftermath of these horrendous crimes, and I am so grateful to them for their hard work, along with the University of Strathclyde and the Legal Services Agency, in setting up this helpline to further strengthen the services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.”

Funding from the Scottish Legal Aid Board will cover the costs of  a full time solicitor for the Centre, who will be based within the Legal Services Agency and will provide free legal advice and representation.  The Centre also receives funding from Foundation Scotland to cover the costs of a part time Coordinator.  Colin Lancaster, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Policy and Development at the Scottish Legal Aid Board, said, “We are delighted the Scottish Government is funding this project providing legal advice and representation to women affected by a wide range of issues related to gender based violence.

“This, along with the projects we manage delivering money and debt advice to women affected by domestic abuse under the Making Advice Work programme, will contribute to our key aim of improving access to justice.”

The Centre also receives funding from Foundation Scotland to cover the costs of a part time Coordinator.

Kathleen Laverty from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic commented:

“The Law Clinic is delighted to be part of the efforts to plug this gap in legal provision. This is a much needed service and one which we hope to develop and grow over time”

Kirsty Thomson  Head of Women’s Project, Legal Services Agency said:

“The Legal Services Agency already provides legal advice to refugee and migrant women affected by violence in Scotland. There has however been no specific legal service dedicated to women affected by violence within Scotland. This new centre redresses that gap, increases protection for women and places Scotland at the forefront of legal service provision in the area of women’s rights.”

Note to Editors

The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre Helpline will run every Wednesday afternoon from 1.30pm – 4.30pm Tel: 08088 010 789 from 22 April 2015.

The Scottish Legal Aid Board is providing funding for a full time solicitor, the training of volunteers to staff the helpline and other related costs for the Centre.  The solicitor will be based at the Legal Services Agency.

For any further information on the centre please contact Sandy Brindley at Rape Crisis Scotland on 07764167501 or email sandy.brindley@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic is delighted to report that it won the Award for Best Contribution by a Law School at the 2015 LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. In addition to this success, Jacob Hay, our Deputy Student Director, was the Runner-up for the Best Contribution by an Individual Student Award and our recently launched Online Project, spearheaded by Grant Storrar, was Highly Commended by the judging panel in the Best New Student Pro Bono Activity category.

 

 

 

On Wednesday, a group of Strathclyde Law Clinic students and staff were invited to attend the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards ceremony in the Palace of Westminster in London. The Strathclyde Law Clinic had been shortlisted in all four award categories, a first for any law clinic, and was the only Scottish university to be represented at the Awards ceremony. Since the Awards were opened to Scottish Universities in 2009, this is our sixteenth shortlisting for the four annual awards, six more than any other law clinic. Moreover, our six awards in three different categories over this period are four more than any other law clinic.

The award we won this year was for the overall contribution of a law school to pro bono, and our success was undoubtedly due to a combination of the dedication to justice and enthusiasm of Law Clinic students and staff, and the generous support of the Law School, Faculty and University.           The latter has ensured the level of staffing which guarantees our clients and the community highly professional service; whereas the former has provided the drive and innovation to constantly improve the services we provide to the community. Commenting on the award, founding Clinic Director, Professor Donald Nicolson, said: “it is extremely gratifying to gain the recognition we deserve as the U.K.’s leading law clinic in providing not only extensive and highly professional legal services to the community, but also the opportunities for students to integrate their clinical work into their legal studies through the Clinical LLB and other forms of experiential learning. It is clear that we are setting the pace when it comes to providing access to justice and learning experiences for our students.”

This impression was confirmed by Tom Jamieson, Communications Officer, who attended the ceremony. “What struck me most was the fact that everybody seemed to know about the Strathclyde Law Clinic, despite us being by far the most northerly participants! One particular comment was made to us about what sets the Strathclyde Law Clinic apart from others- its consistency. It seems other law clinics enjoy their purple patches now and again when they are lucky enough to have a group of particularly dedicated and hard-working students but, as these students move on, the work of these clinics falls off the radar of recognition. By contrast, what we have at Strathclyde is a legacy which is treasured and nurtured by each and every successive generation of members, who are keen to build on it for the future. It is this attitude which makes our Law Clinic so highly recognised and respected in the pro bono legal field across the UK. I am immensely proud to have shared in this legacy and to be a part of such a wonderful community of students all fighting for improved access to justice.”

To cap off a very successful week, on Thursday, the Law Clinic was further recognised when it was Highly Commended by the judging panel of the Scott & Co Scottish Legal Awards in the Pro Bono Award category.

The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic is delighted to report that it has been shortlisted for four awards at the esteemed LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards. This achievement is all the more impressive as it is the first time an organisation has been made a finalist in all four awards since the Law Clinic’s was first involved in 2009, and the Clinic has now been shortlisted a total of sixteen times since 2009 when the Awards were opened up to Scottish law clinics – far more than any other law clinic.

The four awards are as follows:

1. Best Contribution by an Individual Student. The subject of this nomination being Depute Student Director Jacob Hay, in recognition of his constant and tireless efforts in furthering access to justice since his first day in the Clinic in 2012, as well as the invaluable contributions he has made to the Clinic generally both as a student advisor and member of the Executive Committee. Traditionally, the hard work of individual Law Clinic members has been regularly recognised in this category, with our current Student Director Jacky Wall being the award’s latest recipient and two other Student Directors receiving this award. On learning of his nomination, Jacob commented:

‘I am delighted that the Law Works and Attorney General Awards have once again recognised the Law Clinic’s contribution to pro bono in Glasgow. To be nominated comes as a great surprise and a great privilege, as I know I am but one of the 215 students in the Clinic who are committed to closing the gap in the provision of legal support and who would all wholeheartedly deserve this nomination.’

2. Best Contribution by a Law School. The generous support of the Strathclyde Law School is greatly appreciated by the Law Clinic. The help and encouragement it provides members of the Clinic are integral to the continued success and growth of the Clinic, and by extension, the furthering of access to justice in the Greater Glasgow area. The Clinic gained this award in 2009 and is hoping for a repeat of being recognised as the best law clinic in the UK.

3. Best Contribution by a Team of Students. The concerted effort of the members of the Executive Committee has seen the Law Clinic’s capacity for widening access to justice increase considerably over the past year, having overseen the expansion of a number of new public legal education and outreach projects. The Executive Committee has previously achieved this award in 2012, which is testament to the constancy of the commitment of members as time progresses.

4. Best New Student Pro Bono Activity. In August last year, the Law Clinic piloted a new and exciting scheme with a view to widening access to legal services to individuals requiring immediate assistance as well as those who may be unable to travel to the Law Clinic to seek assistance. Spearheaded by Grant Storrar, the Online Project has now served over 50 individuals with numbers constantly rising.

We look forward to celebrating the Law Clinic’s achievements and those of other pro bono organisations on the evening of March 25th at the House of Commons.

Tired and hungry, four student advisors from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic arrived at Miami International Airport. Accompanied by one of their supervisors and the Law Clinic’s academic director, they traveled not in the search of sun, sand and sea, but in order to take part in the inaugural law clinic exchange with the University of Miami’s Health Rights Clinic.

The purpose of the exchange was broadly speaking twofold. Firstly, the students gained an invaluable first-hand insight in to issues surrounding the provision of access to justice in another society. Paired with four student advisors from the clinic in Miami, they accompanied them to different locations where they met with prospective clients to conduct initial interviews. Whilst the Health Rights Clinic centres on providing access to the healthcare system (which is privatised in the United States) for low-income patients, most of whom are from immigrant communities, the key to accessing healthcare for many of the poorest people in Miami, is linked to their immigration status.

On a practical level they were able to compare the differences in the way the clinics operate, such as the difficulties that arise in the Miami clinic in representing clients from such a variety of backgrounds, particularly the language barriers. This is particularly important as the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic prepares to launch its innovative immigration project assisting destitute asylum seekers here in Scotland.

Most striking for the students, however, were the disparities in access to healthcare and justice in the United States as Drew long, a student advisor currently studying toward his Diploma in Professional Legal Practice, observed. “I was really taken aback by the differences between Scotland with its near-universal access to medical treatment and the US system with its substantial deficit in service that is rooted in poverty.” Seeing such injustices has strengthened the students’ passion to continue providing access to justice for all at home in Scotland through their work in the Clinic, particularly as the provision of legal aid in civil matters is coming increasingly under threat.

Secondly, this exchange involved each Strathclyde student pairing up with a student from Miami to start work on projects that will comprise of a comparative study of ethical issues that arise from working in both clinics. The hope is that will help develop strong links between the two programmes and an academic portfolio, which will help future students to better understand their clinical work and improve practice. “It will be very interesting to see the discussion of ethical issues which arises out of their different experiences of working in a law clinic” said Donald Nicholson, Director of the Strathclyde Law Clinic and professor at the Strathclyde Law School. “I am very excited to see what the students come up with.”

The Strathclyde students were given tours of the Little Havana and Little Haiti, the Cuban and Haitian communities in Miami that make up a significant proportion of the immigrant community in South Florida. They sampled Cuban pastelitos and cortaditos at the infamous Little Versailles and met Marliene Bastien who founded the inspirational Haitian Women of Miami organisation that provides direct support and advocacy services to the Haitian community.

As the students embark on their projects, preparations get underway for the Miami students’ arrival in Glasgow in May, where they will experience life in a law clinic on the other side of the pond. Whilst what will be revealed in the academic explorations into clinical practice and ethics is unknown, what is certain is that an invaluable working relationship has been firmly established between the law clinics at Strathclyde and Miami. Indeed, the experience for everyone involved has been invaluable and eye-opening.

Long may these ties continue to flourish.

Following 11 years of service to the community, the award-winning University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has dramatically expanded its activities. Collaboration with the Refugee Survival Trust has enabled it to employ Barbara Coll as a part-time supervisor to oversee assistance to asylum seekers. Barbara had years of experience as an immigration solicitor in England before legal aid cuts made the provision of adequate legal services uneconomical, and will now oversee our new unit investigating possible fresh claims for asylum by destitute asylum applicants.

In addition, £175,000 raised through the Campaign for Strathclyde will allow the Clinic to employ additional supervisors and to increase its membership from 180 to 300 students over the next three years. This will almost double the number of clients it can assist and mean that far fewer students will be turned away from Clinic membership every year. This expansion will make the Clinic, one of the largest, if not the largest, clinics in the UK and certainly by far the largest in Scotland.

As a first step towards using this new expanded capacity, the Law Clinic has joined with Rape Crisis Scotland to provide advice to survivors of sexual violence, and has put in a joint bid with the Legal Services Agency to expand this service to representation as well.
And last but by no means least, the Law Clinic has appointed Rachel Blair to replace Annabell Fowles who, as many will know, provided seven years sterling service to the Clinic. Rachel has worked in employment law for the last 13 years, as a solicitor since 2008, and was an advisor during her Diploma year at the University.

All of these developments, along with the recently launched online advice service put the Clinic in an extremely strong position to expand the central role it plays in ensuring access to justice in Scotland. Reacting to these developments, Prof. Donald Nicolson OBE, founding director of the Law Clinic, commented:

“The Law Clinic has, for 11 years, surpassed my every expectation. To see the Clinic work now in conjunction with the Refugee Survival Trust and Rape Crisis Scotland to assist the most vulnerable groups in society, and secure substantial additional investment to expand further yet, fills me with confidence that 2015, as ever, will mark a significant milestone in our history.”

 

Law Clinic supporters discuss the success of the Law Clinic.

The Law Clinic would like to extend its sincere thanks to Paul Sayer (paulanthonysayer@gmail.com) for filming and editing this short film. It would also like to extend its thanks for all who agreed to be interviewed.