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
25th 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 10th 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.