1. Alan Russell LSBU Legal Advice Clinic Director
Clinical Legal Education in the UK – Running Drop-in Advice Services in an University Setting
Alan Russell
LSBU Legal Advice Clinic Director

2. BACKGROUND
Broad acknowledgement that clinical legal education enhances:
Practical legal knowledge
Understanding of client care and legal ethics
Transferable skills
Employability

3. BACKGROUND
Practising solicitors with substantial experience of drop-in advice services
Premises on the public highway

4. THE LETTER OF ADVICE MODEL
No public drop in service
Clinic administrator fields telephone enquiries
Supervising solicitor decides if case suitable and has educational benefit
Students tasked with researching enquiry and producing letter of advice
Advice letter reviewed several times by supervising solicitor before being sent out to the client.
3 weeks from initial contact to advice letter

5. SOUTHWARK & OUR STUDENTS
Southwark ranked 17th most deprived area of 354 local authorities and districts
A widening participation institution

6. DROP-IN SESSIONS Three 3-hour daytime drop in sessions each week
Provide basic information on any topic
Give generalist advice on social welfare law (except immigration)
Signpost and refer to appropriate local advice agencies and legal services
Or refer to the Clinic’s own evening sessions

7. Reception
Initial details
Interview Part 1
Fact-finding
Establish what client wants
Research enquiry
Using Advice-guide and other resources
Consult supervisor
Agree the content of your advice to the client
Interview Part 2
Advise the client
Finish the enquiry
Write up an accurate case record

8. STUDENT PROGRESSION AT DAYTIME DROP-IN
Modelling
Collaborating
Students taking control

9. EVENING SESSIONS
Student Volunteers shadow pro bono solicitors & barristers giving specialist legal advice in
Housing
Family
Employment
Personal injury and
Long leasehold matters

10. Over 1000 client enquiries dealt with to date

13. BENEFIT TO STUDENTS In at the deep end – first point of contact
Translating client concerns into legally recognisable categories
Developing interview skills
Developing practical legal knowledge
Developing understanding of client care
Developing writing skills – the advice record

14. 85% progressed to giving face-to-face advice to clients
FIRST COHORT
100% learned to research real life legal issues and write professional quality case notes
85% progressed to giving face-to-face advice to clients
70% progressed to taking initial client instructions – the most challenging stage of the advice process
100% said their practical skills were very much improved from taking part in the Clinic

15. TRAINING & REFERENCES
Two days of initial training by the Clinic’s supervising solicitors and local CAB staff. Additional one day refresher training at the start of Semester 2.
Continuous on the job training and always work in pairs and under supervision of a practising solicitor
Access to LawWorks comprehensive social welfare law training programme, e.g. consumer, debt, employment, housing, disability discrimination
Certificate of Clinical Legal Education Placement on completion of minimum 13 week placement.
Use the Clinic Director as a work-based reference on job & training contract applications, which will emphasise client care, interview skills and practical legal knowledge acquired.

16. RECRUITMENT
Annual equal opportunities recruitment process (application form and an interview)
Students selected on merit, according to person specification emphasising reliability and commitment, interpersonal skills and being open-minded and non-judgmental about clients and their problems
35 students a year
60-70 applications

17. BENEFIT TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Helping to meet unmet legal advice need
Free high quality legal advice and appropriate signposting and referral

18. COUNTY COURT HELPDESK Lambeth County Court Helpdesk
35 new placements since Sep 2013

19. IMPACT
In 2012, the Clinic was praised in the Million+ thinktank's report ‘Teaching that Matters’
In 2012, the Clinic Team won the LSBU Vice-Chancellor’s Enterprising Staff Award.

20. IMPACT HEA Social Sciences Cluster Conference Liverpool UK 2012
LSBU cross-faculty Employability Conference 2012
International Journal of Clinical Legal Education (IJCLE) Conference Durham UK 2012
Clinical Legal Education Organisation (CLEO) Conference Portsmouth UK 2013
HEA Law Summit: Loughborough UK 2014

21. Drop-in Legal Advice Clinic Director’s Manual 1st Edition
IMPACT
In 2013 the Clinic Team published its 70 page Drop-In Clinic Operating Manual as a free teaching and learning resource
Launched at our own national conference on Clinical Legal Education
New drop in legal advice clinics at Portsmouth University and Staffordshire University
Drop-in Legal Advice Clinic Director’s Manual 1st Edition

22. IMPACT
LSBU highly commended in the LawWorks and Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards 2014 in the ‘Best Contribution by a Law School’
For the Clinic, the Drop-in Clinic Operating Manual and the Clinic’s satellite Helpdesk at the Lambeth County Court.

23. IMPACT
Clinic cited as model for adoption by Plymouth Fairness Commission in its Final Report 2014

24. THE FUTURE Clinic ‘Plus’ McKenzie Friends Paid internships?
Training contracts?
CILEx firm?
Social Enterprise funds?
McKenzie Friends

25. CONTACT