On Monday 20th May, Strathclyde held the annual Scottish Universities Law Clinic Network Conference (SULCN). This is an initiative which works to bring together and raise awareness of student law clinics in Scotland. This year’s conference brought advisors and pro bono volunteers from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and across Glasgow to the University of Strathclyde, to explore this years’ theme – Student Representation in Law Clinics: Building Skills and Addressing Fears.

Workshop 1: Teamwork
As the theme of this year’s conference was focused on representation: building skills and addressing fears, our new student director team delivered a workshop on teamwork.
Team work plays a crucial part in representation in most Law Clinics and this workshop was aimed at enhancing teamworking skills. This workshop was broken down into three different exercises all of which were designed to explore issues arising from teamwork, give an insight into team dynamics and behaviour and to explore techniques and skills to enhance team work. The exercises were very interactive and explored themes such as collaborative working, decision making, and resolving difficulties.
We hope this workshop helped our attendees to work more effectively in teams and to develop skills such as collaboration and communication.

Workshop 2: Representation
During the 40-minute session, we delved into the fears and complex dynamics associated with representation. Participants discovered that these fears are widespread among advisors, fostering a sense of shared experience and mutual support as they faced these challenges together.

The session used methods learned from David McQuoid Mason, a celebrated South African Clinical legal expert, to explore useful techniques to assert your position in diverse scenarios such as judicial mediation, client representation, and negotiations with solicitors. We emphasised the importance of quick thinking and adaptability, highlighting tools that help to craft persuasive, client-centred arguments. This reflective approach not only enhanced participants’ practical skills but also boosted their confidence in handling real-world situations.

The session successfully fostered an engaging environment where advisors felt comfortable openly discussing and addressing their fears related to representation.

Panel Discussion: Fears in representation
Following the interactive sessions we were very fortunate to have legal practitioners and students with experience of representation, join us in a discussion about how they addressed their fears and what tips they might have for students preparing to represent.

The panel consisted of:
• Kirstie Webb – a Strathclyde Law Clinic alumna who recently qualified as a solicitor following a traineeship at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
• Margot Nicol – a sole practitioner in Stranraer with Nicol Harvey & Pierce Solicitors, with a wealth of experience across various disciplines including criminal and family law.
• Employment Tribunal Judge David Hoey – a Strathclyde alumnus with experience in practice and on the bench in Employment Law
• Adam Crainie – one of our current student advisors, who has represented our clients on several occasions in forums such as the Housing and Property Chamber and Sheriff Court.
• Lauren Weetman – one of our current student advisors, Lauren is part of our Initial Advice Clinic team and has experience representing clients in SSSC fitness to practice hearings as well as recently completing a 5.5 day merits hearing at the Employment Tribunal.
The discussion took the form of a Q&A with each panel member sharing invaluable advice and experiences with Corey Beaton, our current student Director, doing an excellent job of chairing. We discussed how to prepare for hearings, what lessons our panel had to learn the hard way, and what they took from their university and pro bono experiences into their profession.

Key note speech: Employment Tribunal Judge David Hoey
Judge Hoey shared his experience and career history whilst giving detailed and insightful advice on how best to prepare for hearings from the perspective of the bench. Many of our attendees agreed that this advice was incredibly useful for preparing to represent clients, both in hearings and generally. From pet peeves to be avoided when dealing with the judges and the courts, to the big ‘must-do’s’, Judge Hoey’s talk will be taken into many attendees’ future careers!

With many thanks to all attendees who contributed so enthusiastically, to all our excellent panel and speakers, workshop facilitators and organisers.