Student Director James Anderson from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic recently attended the Law Society of Scotland’s Access to Justice roundtable event on 24 July 2019.
The event, hosted by the Law Society of Scotland at their offices in Edinburgh, brought together organisations from across Scotland to discuss issues facing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and pro bono work. The event featured parallel roundtables that gave members and stakeholders an opportunity to share experiences in the sector.
The event opened with a brief address from Jim Stephenson, the Convener of the Law Society of Scotland’s Access to Justice Committee. This was followed by an opportunity for each of the roundtables to discuss a variety of topics related to pro bono or ADR. These topics included: matching services with unmet need; encouraging participation in projects; coordination between advice and legal sectors; regulating Pro bono services; insurance for pro bono services and the role of the law society.
These discussions were followed by a presentation from Gil Long from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) who highlighted lessons that could be learnt from the successful relationship between CAB’s based in Glasgow and Glasgow University.
James Anderson reflected on the event saying:
“The Access to Justice Roundtable event showcased the willingness of the Law Society of Scotland to not only support current pro bono initiatives, but to help remedy the obstacles hindering the progress of pro bono within Scotland. I left the event feeling refreshed and motivated to continue striving towards the goal of providing access to justice.”
The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic is proud to be involved in any work that seeks to improve access to justice and looks forward to attending future events from the Law Society of Scotland’s Access to Justice Committee.