Law clinic and pro bono
Pro bono
The NLS pro bono project has been set up to enable you to develop practical legal skills and gain valuable experience in preparation for your profession as well as giving you the opportunity to put something back into the community. We aim to provide you with the chance to develop your legal skills in a practical context while fostering the ethos of pro bono in students early in their careers.
We have a fully-equipped, purpose-built Pro Bono Centre that includes a workspace (which allows teams of Graduate students to work together in a confidential environment on live cases), interview rooms and a supervisor’s office. The Centre also has easy access to the extensive legal research facilities in the Chaucer Professional Resource Centre.
Our award-winning project provides numerous opportunities for students to get involved in pro bono activities.
The project works in three ways:
- Students are given the opportunity to do pro bono work directly with outside bodies. For example, Nottingham Citizens Advice Bureau, Nottingham Law Centre and local refugee organisations.
- You can participate in the Streetlaw™ programme, which will enable you to deliver information sessions to school pupils and community organisations on aspects of the law.
- LPC, BPTC and GDL students can also get involved with our in-house advice clinic, established in 2006, and other innovative in-house advice projects supervised by NLS staff.
Law Clinic and Free Representation Unit
The Clinic opened in 2006 and each year around 60 graduate students participate in Law Clinic activities, giving advice and assistance to members of the community.
The Clinic provides initial legal advice and a referral service to the local community, NTU staff and students. For some clients we have provided assistance beyond initial advice including helping clients prepare for employment tribunals and negotiating settlements.
In collaboration with the London-based charity, Free Representation Unit (FRU), we offer a service which enables students to represent clients at Employment Tribunals (FRU Nottingham). FRU trains volunteer law students: to provide legal advice; in case preparation; and advocacy in tribunal cases.
We have also provided commercial legal advice to small and start-up businesses, particularly through our link with NTU’s business incubation unit, The Hive.
The Clinic works closely with the LawWorks Clinics Project (formerly known as the Solicitors Pro bono Group.) and subscribes to the Joint Protocol for pro bono Legal Work, which sets standards for the conduct of pro bono advice.
The Law School has also recently established an Innocence Project which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice and which is staffed by both undergraduate and graduate students.
