Volunteering for Law Students

Students who undertake the full-time BVS LLM route can apply to undertake a one-year placement with Amicus. Working on death penalty cases under the supervision of aa experienced lawyer.

Amicus is a small charity that helps provide representation for those facing the death penalty in the United States. Amicus believe the death penalty is disproportionately imposed on the most vulnerable in society, violating their right to due process and equal justice before the law.

Amicus aim to provide better access to justice and to raise awareness of potential abuses of defendants' rights. They are not a campaigning organisation, rather they believe they can make the greatest difference through frontline work.

For further information see the website. Expressions of interest are sent out in the Summer before the course starts and students are interviewed at the start of term.

Students who undertake the full-time BVS LLM route can apply to undertake a one-year placement with Appeal. Working on miscarriages of justice and policy work.

Appeal screen to find cases with merit and high potential impact, and then dig deep to find the fresh evidence that proves a conviction is unsafe or a sentence is unfair.

Their investigation methodology is based on that deployed in high stakes death penalty cases in the US, and includes closely analysing the existing case materials using cutting edge software, demanding access to new documents, interviewing witnesses, visiting to key locations, and working with pro bono experts to find the evidence needed to overturn wrongful convictions and unfair sentences.

They value results over throughput, and so work on behalf of a small number of people to ensure the quality of their work. This is the ideal placement for those seeking a career in Criminal or Public Law.

City University’s own Community Legal Advice Centre (CityCLAC) provides members of the public with FREE legal advice on a range of legal issues including:

• Employment
• Family
• Housing
• Civil litigation
• Small business
• Consumer
• Contractual disputes
• Small claims
• Personal Injury
• Environmental law

It is a service run by The City Law School, where all Law students can undertake a variety of roles from observing an advice session, taking notes in client interviews, or drafting attendance notes and advice letters. They also interview clients, conduct legal research, provide referrals and run the helpline taking details from members of the public over the phone. Opportunities are advertised on the Moodle page. If you are a current student please scan the QR code for more information.

If you are a client who would like to request legal advice please see our City Community Legal Advice Centre page for more details and fill in our online enquiry form. You can also email clac@city.ac.uk or call our phone line 0207 040 5414 which is open 10-12pm and 2-4pm Monday to Thursday. You can leave a message 24 hours a day. We try to get back to clients within 48 hours depending on when you contact us.

Visit our City Community Advice Centre page.

Pro Bono Community is a registered charity which seeks to improve access to justice by providing specialist training in legal advice and social welfare law to lawyers, trainees and students and then placing them as volunteers at Law Centres and advice agencies.

Pro Bono Community run our 3rd Year LLB clinical option module. Students can undertake a taught course which culminates with a practical placement in real life. Students are asked to write a reflective journal as part of their assessment, in order to learn through doing. Students are usually placed in a not for profit agency such as a law centre or citizens advice, providing a great way to obtain experience in real life.

Volunteers trained by PBC have gone on to work at Law Centres and advice agencies across London. PBC expects volunteers to commit to a minimum of 13 days volunteering following their training although many will go on to extend their placements for much longer periods.

Law Centres and advice agencies estimate that each volunteer assists an average of at least two people per session which means that PBC-trained volunteers have provided free legal support and assistance to an estimated 31,000 people since the charity was established.

The University of London (UoL) has recently launched the Refugee Law Clinic that provides pro bono legal advice for refugee clients based on a model of Clinical Legal Education for its diverse student body.

Delivered in partnership with two high profile law firms, the Refugee Law Clinic also provides the opportunity for lawyers to undertake pro bono work within the clinic.

The clinic’s main legal focus will be on advising and preparing fresh claims for asylum, an area identified as underserviced in the current legal landscape and aims to complement the work of law firms and other service providers in London.

The University of London Refugee Law Clinic is an inter-collegiate project of the University of London and at this stage has committed involvement from ten of the University’s Member Institutions, who will each be sending students to volunteer in the clinic.

The project has also partnered with two commercial law firms who will be sending volunteer lawyers to engage in the Clinic:

• Clifford Chance LLP
• Macfarlanes LLP.

COIN provide free legal help for Litigants-in-Person (LiPs) appearing before the winding up court on Wednesdays. The Scheme operates from Consultation Room 17 in the High Court, Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, London.

COIN can assist with the following:

1. Advice on the law and procedure in the winding up court
2. How to make or respond to a winding up petition
3. Representation on your behalf before the winding up court
4. What will happen after a winding up order is made
5. How to apply for a validation order, rescission/appeal of a winding up order
6. Provide you with guides on how to make the applications at v) above and how to write a witness statement

Litigants-in-Person can contact us via email with brief details of your enquiry. If your case is suitable, we will arrange a conference with a barrister via Zoom. Please submit an enquiry by completing the Company Insolvency Pro Bono Scheme enquiry form.

COIN is an award winning service which helps those who would otherwise not have access to representation. Our students are trained to provide general information about advice and procedures, and volunteer barrister provide free representation to clients on a rota.

Nature of Pro Bono Work

Barristers provide free legal advice and representation to the litigants in person. Students will sit with the barristers in conferences and observe in court when the barrister makes submissions before the Insolvency and Companies Court Judges.

Information for Students

How to apply

Students will be asked to indicate their preference for a clinical project when they register for the BVS LLM (Clinical Legal Education).

There will be a shortlist of students who put the Company Insolvency pro bono scheme as their first choice. Students on the shortlist will be invited for an interview and thereafter, there are a limited number of volunteers who can take part, and usually COIN recruit in two rounds (September and January).

Training

Students will attend a training session conducted by a barrister who specialises in Chancery and Commercial law.

Commitment

Students will be on duty on a rota system. They are expected to volunteer once a month from October to July.

Visit our Company Insolvency Pro Bono Scheme page.

Vocalise is an award winning volunteer programme established by Gray’s Inn and has become the focal point of debating at City since 2010.

Students are trained to teach debating over a 12 week period. Following this period, students then go into prisons and schools to teach debating. The scheme received more publicity in an article from The Guardian article.

This opportunity is extremely beneficial for students to take part in as the training involves a lot of public speaking and debating which strengthens advocacy abilities.

To be eligible to apply to become a Vocalise mentor students must be either:

• a student studying the GDL, the Bar Course, or law as a final year undergraduate or masters student
• a current member of Gray’s Inn who has completed either the GDL or the Bar Course in the past year and not secured pupillage

Please note, you do not have to be a member of an Inn to apply for Vocalise, but if accepted, you must join an Inn in order to participate. Vocalise cannot send you into prisons to teach unless you are member of an Inn.

Please apply directly to Vocalise. They usually recruit mentors at the beginning of October each year.