Works to start on a new student Law Clinic

The clinic will be open to the local community and will allow our students to take on voluntary pro bono cases and offer free and impartial legal guidance under the supervision of a qualified legal professional.

The new facility will replace the clinic that the School currently runs from its social learning space in the Portland building, which was growing too small and was not dedicated to the clinic’s exclusive use.

The new space will be a significant upgrade and feature a suite of interview rooms where our students will be able to interview members of the local community, research their issues and then provide a letter of advice approved by a qualified supervisor.

As well as being fitted out with modern, professional furniture, IT and AV equipment and secure filing cabinets, each interview room will have webcam surveillance so that the students can be closely monitored by a practising law professional when working with clients. There will also be a resources room with a library and a bank of computers to allow the clinic students to work in a secure environment to maintain client confidentiality.

The works will also see the creation of a new reception and waiting area which will be furnished with contemporary, comfy seating and other professional finishes to mimic a real-life legal practice.

Rebecca Hopkinson, who is a Learning Support Tutor and the Pro Bono Manager of the Leeds Law School, said:

“The clinic is an exciting project that will benefit the university, the students and the local community. This new facility will open up the opportunity for real, hands on experience of legal practise to our students, as well as a chance to give something back to the members of the public who cannot usually afford it will be able to receive free legal advice.”

“This new space will also allow us to run a new elective undergraduate module for our students that concentrates on learning through experience.  Through this they will develop key transferable skills, such as interviewing, research and letter writing skills, together with significant improvement in their employability.”

The works will last approximately five weeks, completing mid-July in time for its official opening on 18 July, after the Schools graduation ceremony.