London Bloomsbury
Pro bono
There is no better way to learn than by doing and our wide-ranging pro bono activities will give you the opportunity to do just that. Not only will you enhance your legal skills, gain hands-on experience and improve your career prospects, but you will also be serving an important public benefit by providing legal services to community groups and individuals for free.
If you are thinking of studying with us and have further questions about pro bono after reading the information below, please e-mail lb.probonoqueries@lawcol.co.uk. If you are a current student, please access the pro bono pages for London Bloomsbury on the 'my centre' tab of Elite.
Here are just some of the opportunities on offer in our London Bloomsbury Centre:
Advocacy Plus (For LPC Students)
Andrea’s School (For LPC Students)
Central London Law Centre (For LPC Students)
Citizens Advice Bureau RCJ (For LPC Students)
Community Links (For LPC Students)
County Court Housing Possession hearings (For GDL and LPC Students)
Free Representation Unit (For all Students)
Great Chapel Street Medical Centre (For LPC Students)
International Human Rights work (For all Students)
Interights (For all Students)
Legal Advice Centre (LAC)
Liberty Letters Clinic (For all Students)
Mary Ward Legal Centre (For LPC Students)
National Centre for Domestic Violence (For BPTC and LPC students)
Personal Support Unit (For BPTC Students)
Streetlaw (For GDL Students)
Victim Support (For all Students)
Advocacy Plus (For LPC Students)
Advocacy Plus is an independent voluntary sector organisation providing an advocacy service for older people in Westminster. Independent advocacy enables vulnerable older people to make informed choices and remain in control of their lives.
The range of issues dealt with by Advocacy Plus is very wide: housing problems, social care issues, rent and disrepair, community care problems, council tax issues, noise problems, neighbour disputes and so on.
The volunteer scheme offers students the satisfaction of helping vulnerable people to have a voice while providing valuable work experience in advocacy, case management, client interviewing, negotiation, team work and research.
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Andrea’s School (For LPC Students)
Student advisors advise deaf clients by appointment, and interview clients with the help of a sign language interpreter.
Student advisors will gain experience in interviewing, legal research and drafting detailed advice letters. Deaf people do not get access to many services including legal services and this will be an opportunity for students to gain experience of working with vulnerable and socially excluded people.
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Central London Law Centre (For LPC Students)
Students will join the Law Centre legal team to help with the telephones, provide a referral service to members of the public, welcome clients as they arrive, and keep the Law Centre’s library and information system up to date.
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Citizens Advice Bureau RCJ (For LPC Students)
The Royal Courts of Justice Advice Bureau provides a free legal advice service to litigants in person at the High Court, with the help of a team of pro bono lawyers.
Students can get involved in a variety of tasks at the RCJ Bureau; there are a number of different opportunities including the Principal Registry of the Family Division and manning the High Court bureau desk reception. A lot of the work is help with form filling, particularly help with Benefits forms.
Students help in the Bureau by providing reception services, assist volunteer lawyers and provide administrative support to caseworkers. Clients are usually people who have cases in the High Court.
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Community Links (For LPC Students)
Community Links is a multi purpose community service in Canning Town, where students join the volunteer team advising and assisting people making claims for Disability Living Allowance. Where a client receives a negative decision students may have the opportunity to shadow the advocate who acts pro bono at appeal hearings, or to be trained as tribunal representatives themselves.
Students will gain experience of interviewing clients who may be elderly, and have disabilities giving rise to care and mobility needs. Students will assist clients to complete lengthy forms. The appointments are held at Community Links, accessible by tube and at the client and student’s convenience.
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County Court Housing Possession hearings (For GDL and LPC Students)
Students will assist volunteer advocates in representing tenants who are summonsed for possession of their homes and who may be facing eviction. Students attend one of three County Courts on possession days, and this may involve interviewing tenants, liaising with Court staff, completing forms, explaining follow-up and generally doing whatever is needed to provide a professional service for tenants at court, during stressful proceedings.
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Free Representation Unit (For all students)
The Free Representation Unit provides free representation to members of the public in social security appeals and employment tribunals. There is no legal aid for tribunal representation. Every year FRU trains our students to become FRU tribunal advocates.
Students gain experience of case preparation, legal research, interviewing, client care, negotiation and advocacy .
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Great Chapel Street Medical Centre (For LPC Students)
This is a unique medical centre whose patients are all homeless people, sleeping rough in Central London. The medical centre offers a holistic service and aims to provide continuing support for its patients. Students join the Primary Care Manager (a lawyer) in giving legal advice and assistance to patients, particularly on housing, welfare rights and family law.
Students will observe interviews with centre staff, assisting in follow up, file maintenance, negotiation on behalf of client with local authorities, social work and housing departments, other medical providers etc. When confident, they may give advice under supervision.
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International Human Rights work (For all Students)
Students may be able to volunteer with a number of national organisations that speak at the College to explain how students can get involved in international human rights issues and volunteering, such as Advocates for International Development, International Lawyers Project, the Law Society International Action Team and Peace Brigades International.
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Interights (For GDL, LPC & BPTC Students)
Interights is an international human rights law centre providing leadership in the development of legal protection for human rights and freedoms worldwide through the effective use of international and comparative human rights law. Students participate by undertaking legal research to assist lawyers, judges, non governmental organisations and victims in the preparation of cases before national, regional and international tribunals.
The aim is for students to get experience of using research skills in real life cases, where their research may have a major impact on an individual’s human rights. Students will read cases supplied by the coordinating lawyer at Interights, summarising the cases according to guidance supplied by Interights. The work is done remotely and students can work from home.
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Legal Advice Centre (LAC) (For LPC Students)
This is a free legal advice service run by student advisors inside the College for members of the public under the supervision of solicitors experienced in social welfare law. Areas covered include housing, leasehold disputes, employment, family, and immigration law.
Working in the Legal Advice Centre gives students an insight into the workings of a legal practice, a chance to work as a member of the team, and to give much needed help to members of the community.
Students interview clients in threes, to obtain details of the case and then work together to produce a letter of advice. Students will gain interviewing, legal research, case analysis, drafting and file management skills through this hands-on experience.
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Liberty Letters (For all Students)
Liberty is a national organisation which defends and extends human rights and civil liberties. Liberty receives a large number of enquiries from members of the public. Our students research the law and draft replies, working from our Legal Advice Centre once a week in the evening. They e-mail their drafts to Liberty for approval.
Students gain knowledge of human rights law and issues, especially how these impact on people. They also gain experience of drafting and research in the human rights field.
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Mary Ward Legal Centre (For LPC Students)
Students will assist in running the employment advice service by taking initial instructions from clients and ascertaining the value of further advice giving. They may observe interviews and assist solicitors by drafting follow-up letters.
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National Centre for Domestic Violence (For BPTC and LPC students)
NCDV is a national organisation providing assistance to people suffering domestic violence. NCDV volunteers work in the Legal Advice Centre to assist victims of domestic violence to obtain emergency injunctions.
Students gain an understanding of relationship breakdown, domestic abuse, and basic family law. Students interview clients over the phone under difficult circumstances, and gain experience of preparing witness statements and court documents. Students may assist their clients as a “Mackenzie Friend” by putting the client’s case to the Judge.
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Personal Support Unit (For BPTC Students)
Students join the PSU at the Royal Courts of Justice or at Wandsworth County Court to assist litigants in person who have cases in Court but are not represented. The students meet their clients and explain about Court procedure, and sit with them during the hearings and offer support after the hearings. For many litigants in person the Court hearing is a daunting and confusing process and having the support of a volunteer at Court helps considerably. The students do not give legal advice, but are there to support and explain what is happening.
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Streetlaw (For GDL Students)
This is an innovatory legal literacy scheme, in which students work directly with schools, community groups and prisons.
Students devise and deliver workshops on different areas of law.
Streetlaw students have recently worked in the areas of immigration and asylum, social enterprises, welfare rights, rights on arrest, education law, employment law, company law and fundraising. Streetlaw also runs a mock trial scheme called “Your Day in Court”, in which students work with school pupils on a Theft, Magistrates and Crown Court case.
Students will gain experience in legal research, preparation of presentations, time management, client care, file management and communication skills and will also have the chance to find out about how the law impacts on everyday life on an inner city estate.
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Victim Support (For all Students)
Victim Support is a national organisation which provides support for victims of crime, and support for witnesses at Court, through its witness service.
Students will gain knowledge of the criminal justice system and procedures at Court, and experience of working with vulnerable people who have been victims of crime.
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