Projects

Other pro bono opportunities include the following projects:

Nottingham Law Centre
Nottingham Law Centre is one of the city's principal advice centres, dealing with a range of legal problems for its clients. Nottingham Law School provides volunteers to the centre to provide administrative support as well as assisting with case work (drafting letters, applications, attending interviews, court and tribunal work). This opportunity gives an excellent insight into work in a civil legal aid practice.

Bars in their Eyes

In 2009, one of our former Bar students, Alex Simmonds, won the higher Education Academy's Exceptional Winner award for his work in developing an innovative prison education project during his time at Nottingham Law School, called Bars in their Eyes.Alex used interactive teaching sessions to inform prisoners of their legal obligation to disclose their criminal convictions, the best way to disclose them, and the consequences of failing to do so under the Rehabilitation of Offenders act.He was responsible for designing and leading the project, recruiting volunteers, and then providing them with the necessary training and background knowledge to deliver it. The project has developed and continued since 2009.

Public Legal Education
Students have been engaged in a number of programmes providing information to voluntary organisations and their clients on aspects of the law. For example, NLS students produced and delivered an information project for a local Rape Crisis Centre on the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and procedural issues surrounding bringing a prosecution for rape.

Streetlaw™
Streetlaw™ is a global programme that aims to educate students about their rights. Nottingham Law School students participate by providing sessions on human rights and careers advice to local 16-18 year old school and college students. NLS students have also devised and delivered programmes in the Law School itself which have involved local school and college students participating in mock trials. 

Victim Support and Witness Service
Victim Support is a national charity that provides a confidential support service to victims of crime. Nottingham Law School students have been involved as volunteers in bringing criminal injuries claims as well as more general victim support. This opportunity enables students to develop a good understanding of the way the criminal justice system operates from the perspective of the victim. Recently, law school students have been engaged as volunteers with the Young Witness Service, providing help and support to children and young people who are required to appear in court as witnesses.

Refugee Forum
Students have assisted the advice team at Nottingham's main centre for refugees, the Forum, for a number of years. 

Over the years we have had links with other groups – neighbour mediation schemes, mental health groups, and other community organisations – and we are constantly seeking other ways of engaging our students in voluntary work. We work very closely with the university's volunteering office to provide opportunities for students to work with local groups.

We also seek to encourage our students to develop their own projects. In 2011 our students were highly commended in the Attorney General/Lawworks awards for their work devising a Will Writing Project with AGE UK. The project also received recognition as one of the best New Projects in the 2011 Attorney General/Lawworks student awards.