PROFESSOR KATHRYN HOLLINGSWORTH

Community, Engagement and Social Justice: Improving the law student experience

through pro bono placements

Overview

Legacare – local NE charity providing free legal advice to ppl with life-threatening illness

Students undertake placements over course of three months

Why the project was established

Law student demand for pro bonoCommitment to social justice within context

of a civic universityEmployability

How it worked

12 students recruited initially following full application process

New students taken on in summer; some given two week full placement

Exposes students to wide range of legal subjects

Involved in research, file preparation and client interviewing

Innovation fund supported costs to Legacare of the student placements

Benefits to students

Putting theory into practice Real client contact and interaction Knowing the work they do empowers vulnerable clients

and makes a real difference to the quality of their life The opportunity to handle a case from start to finish

with strong supervision Exposure to a variety of legal issuesStrong experience for C.V Develops holistic skills Potential for training contract Opportunity to accrue time to count towards a training

contract

Feedback

Students were overwhelmingly positive:

’I think it is fabulous that LegaCare gives so many students the opportunity of gaining

work experience.’

‘Thank you for an amazing experience’

Feedback

 ‘I was able to transfer my academic knowledge to very practical, real life

situations’

 ‘It has been a really rewarding and challenging experience’

 ‘My knowledge and experience has been enhanced tenfold’

Academic development

Students keen to keep it extra-curricula and NOT developed into a module:Would detract from the ‘altruistic’

feelingValued the selection processMore valuable on cv if extra-

curricula