Bristol
Pro bono
Pro bono offers an important opportunity for you to put your legal skills into practice, as well as providing vital access to justice for members of the public.
You can hone valuable skills such as interviewing, letter writing, time management, teamworking and legal research, whilst gaining practical experience for your CV and demonstrating your commitment to a career in law.
All work undertaken is fully supervised by qualified lawyers and many projects are run in conjunction with external practitioners, so it’s also a great opportunity to network and improve your career prospects.
If you’re thinking of studying with us and have further questions about pro bono after reading the information below, please e-mail probono-bristol@lawcol.co.uk. If you’re a current student, please access the pro bono pages for Bristol on the 'My Centre' tab of Elite.
Here are just some of the opportunities that are on offer at our Bristol centre:
Legal advice
Shadowing
Public legal education
External opportunities
Legal advice
Legal Advice Clinics (LACs)
Members of the public visit Legal Advice Clinics for face-to-face meetings with students who can deal with a range of legal matters. Students work in pairs to interview clients, carry out all research and drafting work required. All advice is given in writing within 21 working days of interview and is supervised by a solicitor.
Family E-mail Advice Line (FEAL)
This service allows clients e-mail us for advice on family law. Students respond to legal problems via e-mail or in person on a rota basis, and we try to ensure that everyone deals with at least one client.
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Shadowing
District Judges
You have the opportunity to visit the County Court in pairs and observe a number of hearings as the visitor of the District Judge in his Chambers. You will be able to discuss the cases with the District Judge and see how the County Court operates on a day-to-day basis.
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Public legal education
Streetlaw
Available to GDL students, this pro bono opportunity involves giving presentations on legal topics to members of the public in prisons, schools, community groups etc. You will work in groups of four to give the presentation.
Pathways to Law
You will work with students aged 16 to 18 who have been identified as eligible for the Pathways to Law programme. This programme was established by the College with the Sutton Trust to provide law career opportunities for academically able state school students from less advantaged backgrounds. This year we hope to organise a number of events for the Pathways students, including a moot and a mock trial, both of which will be attended and supported by major local law firms including Bond Pearce. We also hope to run a session on what it takes to become a lawyer and the skills required.
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External opportunities
Interights
You will write case summaries for an organisation working to ensure human rights are upheld before regional and international bodies. Work will be allocated to you direct by Interights and can be carried out from home.
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
You will trained by the CAB as a Gateway Advisor. This involves meeting members of the public with legal problems and supporting them with advice and signposting where necessary.
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