Chester
Pro bono
Our Chester centre offers a wide range of award-winning pro bono opportunities to help you acquire real skills for life in the office - and enhance your CV.
Pro bono projects available at Chester include Streetlaw, Your Day in Court, Crown Court Challenge, the Legal Advice Centre, the telephone employment helpline and domestic violence programmes. These services are offered primarily to the local community and the North West region.
If you are an existing or prospective student and would like further information on any of the schemes below, please e-mail chadvice@lawcol.co.uk or telephone 01483 216848.
Streetlaw
Your Day In Court; incorporating Crown Court Challenge, Magistrates Trial, an Employment Tribunal and a Civil Trial
Legal Advice Centre (LAC)
Witness Support placements
Telephone Employment Helpline
Domestic violence programme
Families Need Fathers
Contact 4 Kids
Judge shadowing schemes
Interights
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
Save the Family
Medical–Legal Advice Service
Mental health advocacy
Streetlaw
Streetlaw originated in America and is a community-based programme whereby people are made more aware of their rights and responsibilities on a given legal topic. At Chester we have a Streetlaw programme that usually involves over 60 students and up to 20 different organisations annually. These include local high schools, community groups, centres for disadvantaged children and a young parents’ centre.
We carry out a series of presentations which are interactive and visual, covering topics such as human rights, police powers, employment law and consumer rights. Skills acquired include legal research, teamwork, time management and, of course, outstanding presentational skills.
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Your Day In Court; incorporating Crown Court Challenge, Magistrates Trial, an Employment Tribunal and a Civil Trial
This Pro Bono activity usually incorporates three mock trials. The trials are as realistic as possible, with real judges and magistrates. Local schools also get involved, playing the role of the audience and, in the Crown Court Challenge, the role of the jury, so it is a fun and educational experience for them too.
We are renowned for the high standard of mock trials we produce. Indeed, members of the public have thought that they have walked in on a real trial!
Recently, we were involved in a civil trial concerning road safety. We named it Fatal Distractions. We worked with Cheshire County Council's Road Safety Department and Cheshire Constabulary. The mock trial was filmed by a media company.
The trial was based on a real case of death by dangerous driving. The events that took place before the trial concerned a cattle truck driver, driving his truck whilst using his mobile phone and under the influence of drugs. According to eye witnesses his driving was erratic and eventually resulted in a head on collision with a transit van. The driver of the transit van died.
Cheshire County Council have now launched a safe driving campaign and have produced a DVD based on the mock trial for schools.
This generated a lot of media interest and interviews took place for Granada Reports and the local radio station Dee 106.
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Legal Advice Centre (LAC)
This is an opportunity for students to gain some experience in dealing with a ‘real’ case. The students interview a client, carry out legal research and then follow up with a letter of advice. All work is checked and supervised by qualified lawyers.
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Witness Support placements
Students can become involved in the Witness Support schemes at both local Crown and Magistrates courts, where they accompany and support witnesses in court as they give evidence.
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Telephone Employment Helpline
This service offers free legal advice to employees regarding specific employment issues. Members of the public (the client) phone up with an employment problem; students interview the client, carry out some legal research on the problem and then report back to the client, advising them of the best course of action.
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Domestic violence programme
Students who participate in this programme undertake a period of intensive training that enables them to go to court to support victims of domestic abuse and help them obtain an injunction. The training involves sessions in client handling, interview techniques and court processes, and the law students will interview clients over the telephone and draft the necessary court papers.
Students can become 'Mackenzie Friends' after the training. Although not entitled to address the court, a Mackenzie Friend can sit alongside the victim in court, offering moral support and advice by passing notes, whispering messages and generally assisting the victim.
The rewards and experiences that students receive in helping with this programme are invaluable, both in terms of court experience and in their future legal career.
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Families Need Fathers
We have become involved with this organisation that operates from Birkenhead, Southport, Wrexham and Liverpool. Students help families that have broken down and there are issues relating to contact for fathers and even grandparents. Clients will be referred to students and they can go to court with the clients and even act as a Mackenzie Friend.
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Contact 4 Kids
This is a website-based service that is run from the Chester Centre for anyone experiencing contact issues with their children or grandchildren. Clients are able to access the website and then telephone the Chester Centre direct on a dedicated answer phone. Students interview the clients on the telephone and follow this up with a letter of advice – detailing the client’s position and next steps. It is anticipated that students will even be able to help clients through the court process by acting as a Mackenzie Friend.
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Judge shadowing schemes
We currently offer shadowing opportunities in the Civil Court at Chester and both the Family and Civil Courts in Liverpool. This will involve you sitting with a judge or magistrate and discussing their list for the day, and even attending the hearings.
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Interights
Interights exists to promote the legal protection of human rights. You will carry out legal research on human rights decided by courts and prepare a summary of the case for publication by Interights.
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Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)
You will be trained as a Gateway Advisor. This involves you meeting members of the general public and helping them resolve their legal problems.
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Save the Family
This is a new and exciting opportunity to work with a charity that provides accommodation and support for homeless families and individuals in the North West, including North Wales. We will be providing legal advice to these families at their two sites on issues such as family breakdown, divorce, mental illness, debt and poverty.
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Medical–Legal Advice Service
This is a telephone advice line where students give advice to members of the public on how to advance clinical negligence claims and similar issues. Student advisors receive intensive training before taking part.
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Mental health advocacy
This is a new scheme that allows students to help a mental health service in Denbigh with their clientele.
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