Strathclyde law students go pro bono

Walking down the corridor in Strathclyde University’s Graham Hills building the blue carpet is worn and stained by the masses that traipse through it. It is ordinary and unexceptional, but behind one of the grey doors is the core of a significant revolution in the British legal system.

The Strathclyde Law Clinic is a veritable hub of activity. The ferocious energy in the room is palpable, anarchy within order and of a sense of justice being served. In this modest room, young minds are fighting back against the access-to-justice gap which exists so prominently across the UK as two hundred Strathclyde law students log more than 10,000 hours each on cases ranging from landlord-tenant issues to assisting at employment tribunals.

As well as work spent on cases, student advisors also contribute to individual projects carried out by the law firm as a community outreach programme. Not only do they work with prisons to inform offenders of basic rights, they also travel to schools and cover the little-known legal ramifications stemming from current behaviour such as sectarianism and cyber-bullying. A partnership with the University’s journalism department on its Innocence Project investigating wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice is also in place.

"Basically, it’s all about enhancing access to justice. Just now there’s a huge gap between people who can afford legal fees and people who are eligible for Legal Aid. People are almost left to fend for themselves because they just can’t access the legal service they need. That’s where we come in," explains Hannah Cosgrove, student director of the Law Clinic.

Despite the humble workspace, these students are making a much larger difference within the community. "Last year, we won or saved clients £168,917," Hannah smiles, "and we had a record-breaking win this year." The case made headlines earlier in the year when two student advisors won a sum of £69,358 for a client who was unfairly dismissed by his local authority.

However, it is clear that the Law Clinic is about far more than money. Last year only a quarter of cases resulted in a financial award. The majority of issues tackled have no financial incentive. Hannah remembers a case she worked on for a client who was having a dispute with her local housing authority over work not being done in her garden. The students intervened and were able to persuade the housing authority to comply with the tenant’s wishes. "She was just so grateful, you honestly would have thought we had saved her life," she laughs.

But, of course, with all philanthropy there are major funding issues. "We took on about 140 cases the year before last. We were only able to take on one in three people who approached us for help, but our resources are restricted too," says Cosgrove. "The majority of our funding comes generously from the Law School." The Clinic also has to rely on grants from the University and generous law firms who make donations, a figure which has dwindled in the last few years.

Contributions from local law firms aren't just financial in nature; it is not uncommon for qualified and trainee solicitors to attend the monthly Initial Advice Centre (IAC) to help advisors. According to Hannah, "members of the profession have been very supportive. They come along to the IAC and... give their time and knowledge for free and have been really amazing in doing that."

She also believes the work being carried out at Strathclyde is revolutionising the practice of law: "It’s great when you get a lot of previous Law Clinic students coming back because you know it’s making a difference to their outlook on what it is to be a lawyer."

The Clinic has been recognised for its work with the ‘Best Contribution by a Law School’ and ‘Best Contribution by an Individual Student’ awards in recent years. The founder, Professor Donald Nicolson, was also honoured with an OBE this year for his contribution to tackling access-to-justice issues.

A veritable Mary Poppins, Prof Nicolson goes where he is needed, no complaints. Growing up in South Africa, he was a fierce opponent of the apartheid regime. After graduating from the University of Cape Town (UCT), Prof Nicolson sought political asylum in the UK and set up a Law Clinic at Bristol University based on the UCT model which provides help in the African townships.

Modestly, he accredits his work to his upbringing. "I owe my education and successful career indirectly to the exploitation of millions of others so therefore feel obliged to do whatever I best can to repay this."

The students at the Law Clinic have clearly made an impact on Prof Nicolson’s ethos. Due to this, his mission has shifted to a more grassroots approach. He is dedicated "to help foster a new generation of lawyers more aware of an obligation to help those who, because of money, are denied access to those who are meant to serve them."

It is perhaps for this reason that the Clinic makes a real difference to the lives of the people it serves. One client said of the experience: "They achieved for me what I could never have achieved for myself." Another client heaped praise on the hard-working students, claiming that "words cannot say what I feel for your help and sensitivity you have shown me over the time."

It is not only the clients who are thrilled with the students’ work. "They have taken the Clinic well beyond my wildest dreams and to places I would never have thought of. It’s their clinic now and most of its success is down to them and our fantastic supervisors," adds Prof Nicolson.

It all seems difficult to reconcile; solicitors and students giving up their own time to help people in need of legal advice for no financial incentive. Hannah assures me there is no ulterior motive for those who go unaccredited and unpaid for their work in the Clinic. "I think the best thing about the Clinic is that students are giving to people who just wouldn’t get that help any other way."