Two summer students, Fiona and Sasha, talk about their time as a summer student. They discuss some of the tasks that were involved, including getting the clinic ready for the new semester, taking on new cases, and keeping on track with existing cases. They also discuss the benefits of taking on the role of summer student and their experience of moving back to in-person working.

FIONA RENNIE

This summer I worked part time at the Law Clinic as a ‘summer student’ and also started the role of The Asylum Project (TAP) coordinator. We were a team of 9 summer students working in person at the Clinic. It was great to be back in the office, to get to know fellow advisors, supervisors and also to meet clients in person too. The Clinic feels lively again and I’m looking forward to being able to come to here to do my Clinic casework now that the semester has started back up again too.

During the summer I did combination of casework and TAP work. During the summer I worked on two employment cases. This was the first opportunity I had to work on an employment case, and it was interesting to get to learn about this part of the law from a practical perspective. It was also been really helpful to be able to run any queries I have past the supervisors in person, they are all really approachable and supportive.

For TAP, I continue to work closely with Gillian, the Immigration Case Supervisor, to update our materials (including the website, handbook and training materials) ahead of the new intake of TAP student advisors next semester. I have also started working with a new client who is seeking assistance with gathering evidence for a fresh asylum claim.

Working at the Law Clinic as a summer student was a really positive experience. I’m got lots of good casework experience, learnt a lot and I feel I have grown in confidence by taking on these new cases.

SASHA AKAVICIS

During the summer I worked as a summer student within the Law Clinic. The majority of my time in this role was spent working on both new and existing cases. The role involved primarily working from the offices in the Graham Hills building on campus. Before this opportunity I had never been into the Clinic, and this is something I really enjoyed about the role. Although zoom meetings do have some perks, I much prefer working in the Clinic. There are so many benefits to in person working; for example, being able to converse with other students and run ideas and questions by each other in relation to case work without the need to wait on email replies. Another benefit is having supervisors around whom you can chat to about case work and any ideas you have. In person advisor meetings are much better too, everything flows naturally, and it is good to have discussions with fellow advisors not interrupted by poor connections and poor video quality.

I have really enjoyed working on casework without the pressure of other academic work. During the academic year, things often get pretty hectic very quickly and it is often a struggle to balance clinic work with academic work, a part time job and somewhat of a social life. However, I have really been enjoying focussing on my casework and not having to think about any looming deadlines in relation to general university studies. This has also allowed me to take on multiple cases in different practise areas which with the pressure of academic studies I would have been hesitant to put myself forward for.

Another highlight from this experience is seeing so many new advisors coming into the Clinic to work on cases. I started my university studies and clinic work at the start of the Covid pandemic and therefore all my initial training and first cases were conducted remotely. I would have loved the opportunity to engage in person with the Clinic from the start of my studies however due to the situation this was just not possible. It is lovely to see so many advisors taking up the opportunity to come into the clinic over the summer and would encourage anyone who is working on a case over the summer to arrange with your co-advisor to come into the office. I know it can be daunting going to a new place at first, however everyone is so welcoming and there has been such a lovely buzz to the offices over the summer.

As well as casework, myself along with the other summer students have been completing a variety of admin tasks which help to prepare the clinic for the upcoming academic year. Some of these tasks include updating the outdated executive committee lists on the walls, updating the walls with new information and signage, client archiving, tidying of the library, updating of student lists to only name a few. These tasks keep us all busy alongside casework and allow us to get away from our laptops and do something productive other than case work. These tasks are crucial for the clinic to operate in the way it does especially with a transition back to in person working, the offices were abandoned at the start of the pandemic with little to no notice and therefore we have the job along with supervisors and Diane of getting them back up to scratch in time for the new academic year starting in September.

I am extremely grateful to the Law Clinic for this opportunity, and I would encourage anyone wanting to get involved more in the Clinic to take up the opportunity to do so over the summer before the chaos of classes start again. If anyone has any questions about how to get involved, what opportunities there are or any general questions about the clinic do not hesitate to contact me.

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