On the 7th June, Glasgow Caledonian University hosted the 6th annual Scottish University Law Clinic Network (SULCN) Conference. SULCN is an initiative that raises awareness of student law clinics across Scotland. The conference featured speakers such as Employment Judge Shona Simon, Mungo Bovey QC and Brian Inkster, and particularly focused on how law clinics can use technology to improve access to justice in Scotland. The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic’s Donald Nicolson OBE gave a plenary address at the end of the event, during which he noted the benefits of embedding law clinics in university curriculums and warned against clinics’ focusing on student priorities, rather than client ones.
Law Clinic Student Advisor Scott MacDonald attended the conference and managed to take part in workshops held throughout the day:
Which workshops did you attend during the day?
“I attended the mock employment tribunal run by Blackadders as I may have to participate in an employment tribunal at some point in the future: either as a student adviser for the law clinic or as a practicing solicitor. I found it very stimulating, and enjoyed watching lawyers cross-examine witnesses. Afterwards, I took part in the Challenging the Status Quo workshop. I have an interest in seeing how the law is adapting to technology and what this means for us as future lawyers.”
Which speakers did you listen to?
“There were a number of interesting speakers. Mungo Bovey QC’s keynote address on how technology affects all of our lives was especially thought-provoking.
At the Challenging the Status Quo workshop, solicitors such as Aamer Anwar and Philip Hannay answered questions on the importance of technology in legal practice (something which can be applied equally to clinics), and also mentioned that they would be more likely to consider applicants for internships and traineeships if they were tech-savvy and spoke about this in their CVs.”
Was the conference a valuable learning experience?
“Yes. Mungo spoke about advocates’ ability to provide legal representation to law clinic clients, which was interesting, and there were interesting discussions on new technologies and apps which seek to assist people understand and vindicate their rights.”
You can find out more about the event through Malcolm Combe’s Storify below: