Unique legal partnership presents case for community support

Front row L-R: Jayne Edwards; Roiya Hodgson, Family Solicitor and Sunderland Student Law Clinic Supervisor; Chris Smith; Josh Edwards, Clinic Manager of Sunderland Student Law Clinic, Ben Middleton, Senior Lecturer in Law; Background, University of Sunderland Law Students.

A University Law Clinic has entered a unique partnership with a leading independent legal charity - providing free advice to people who cannot afford justice – to reach a greater number of people and help train the solicitors of tomorrow.

The Student Law Clinic at the University of Sunderland has joined forces with Newcastle Law Centre to help provide specialist legal advice for more North East people, and will benefit from having an experienced solicitor based in its offices to deal with cases and supervise students.

Jayne Edwards, Centre Director at Newcastle Law Centre, said: “We wanted to develop a service in Sunderland because we know a lot of people there are looking for help with legal problems, and there aren’t many services currently available.

“At the Law Centre we always try to do work that involves law students. We see this as important because we want them to graduate understanding more about the needs of the many different types of clients they might serve as lawyers and important issues around access to justice, which have been brought about by severe cuts in public funding for essential legal services.

 “I believe this is a unique partnership, I don’t think there are any other law centres and universities partnering in this kind of formal way, or to this scale.”

The partnership will run for two years until 2017, but it is hoped that this will be extended once funding opportunities in the future become clearer. A Law Centre solicitor will be based at the University for one day each week, and both parties see the partnership as a stepping stone to greater collaboration in the future.

Chris Smith, Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of the University of Sunderland’s Student Law Clinic, said: “The benefits for the University and its students are obvious; the best way to teach law students how to be lawyers is by enabling them to work on real cases for real people, whilst they are studying. 

“Teaching students in this way helps them develop far more quickly as ethical, responsible practitioners whilst instilling in them key transferable professional skills that employers tell us they want to see. In this way our graduates can leave ready to enter employment and able to make an instant positive contribution.

“This partnership in particular gives us expertise in the area where we have the greatest demand, and that is Family Law. That is an area that was particularly affected by the funding changes and which 44% of our enquiries currently relate to.

“It also allows the University to make a huge contribution to the local community as there is a significant need for free legal advice in this area, and there are not many organisations able to provide it. Since the changes to legal funding in April 2013, which removed public funding for many family matters, that need has only increased. This unique partnership will go some way to meeting this need in our community.

“Sunderland Student Law Clinic offers advice in a wide range of areas in addition to Family Law, including Wills and Probate, commercial and civil disputes, housing, landlord and tenant, and employment. We have also recently established a new Criminal Appeals and Prisoner Advice Service.”

For more information on Sunderland Student Law Clinic and to make an enquiry email law-clinic@sunderland.ac.uk or complete an online enquiry form at www.sunderland.ac.uk/lawclinic

For more information on Newcastle Law Centre see www.newcastlelawcentre.co.uk or contact reception@newcastlelawcentre.co.uk or 0191 230 4777

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