Pro bono - Guildford
Guildford has been strongly committed to Pro Bono since 2000. There is a variety of Pro Bono activities on offer, and we are always looking for new and exciting opportunities. At Guildford we aim to give you some practical real life experience, enhance your legal education and give you the opportunity to develop your professional and public responsibility.
Legal Advice Centre (LAC)
Guildford Employment Rights Advice Line Direct (GERALD)
Brighton Leasehold Advice Clinic (BLAC)
Streetlaw (GDL Practice-related activity)
Your Day in Court
Judicial Shadowing
National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV)
Surrey Law Centre – volunteers
Surrey Law Centre – Guildford evening advice sessions
Citizens Advice Bureau
Visiting detainees
Further Information
Legal Advice Centre (LAC)
The LAC provides free, preliminary legal advice to the public, on a wide variety of issues. You will interview a client and produce an advice letter, carefully supervised throughout by our Supervising Solicitor.
Students interview clients in pairs to obtain details of the case and then work together to produce a letter of advice. You gain interviewing, drafting and file management skills through this hands-on experience.
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Guildford Employment Rights Advice Line Direct (GERALD)
This College initiative, run in conjunction with local law firms, gives free legal advice on employment law issues to members of the public via telephone.
You check the telephone for messages, phone clients to obtain basic details and take notes of the advice given by the volunteer solicitor at our weekly clinics.
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Brighton Leasehold Advice Clinic (BLAC)
BLAC provides free, preliminary advice to the public on leasehold matters e.g. amount / reasonableness of service charges, enfranchisement of flats, defective leases, administrative charges and the right to manage.
You prepare necessary paperwork, attend the client interview to take notes and produce an advice letter under the supervision of our Supervising Solicitor. You gain interviewing, drafting and file management skills through this hands-on experience.
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Streetlaw (GDL Practice-related activity)
Streetlaw is a community legal education scheme which raises awareness of legal rights and responsibilities within the community by providing workshops on various legal topics. We work with schools and community groups. Individual organisations choose the topic for their workshop but topics previously covered include Human Rights, Police Powers, Criminal Law and Consumer Law.
You work in a team of 3 to produce an interactive workshop on a legal topic. Skills acquired include team work, research practice and presentation/communication techniques.
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Your day in court
We work with local schools looking at the civil and criminal justice systems and role playing mock trials. There are 3 parts to the scheme involving proceedings in a Magistrates Court, a Crown Court and an Employment Tribunal.
You prepare and present Streetlaw style workshops explaining the Civil and Criminal justice systems and also dealing with the “law” involved in each mock trial. You then mentor pupils through a rehearsal of, and the real mock trial.
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Judicial Shadowing
In conjunction with District Judges on the South Eastern Circuit, the Pro Bono team are able to arrange for students to shadow a District Judge and gain an insight into civil disputes from a unique angle.
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National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV)
This charity provides fast, free legal advice and support for victims of domestic violence. In particular it runs an emergency injunction service allowing anybody, regardless of financial circumstances to obtain protection through the civil courts (usually an injunction) within 24 hours. You could volunteer for various duties within NCDV’s headquarters based in Guildford.
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Surrey Law Centre – volunteers
The Surrey Law Centre employs 3 full time solicitors and holds LSC contracts in housing, family and community care. The Law Centre aims to provide legal services in those areas to those who are financially eligible. You could volunteer for various duties within the Law Centre’s Guildford based operation.
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Surrey Law Centre – Guildford evening advice sessions
The Surrey Law Centre, in conjunction with Clyde & Co Solicitors, runs a drop-in session every Tuesday evening at Guildford Citizens’ Advice Bureau. The sessions are staffed by volunteer solicitors from local firms. Members of the public can drop in to receive free legal advice on a variety of issues including housing, family law, debt problems and employment. The sessions are aimed at giving access to those people who cannot afford to pay for legal advice.
You could shadow volunteer solicitors as they interview and advise clients who drop in. You may also be asked to help with photocopying and general admin.
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Citizens Advice Bureau
The CAB offers free help and advice to members of the public on a variety of topics. All offices have trained volunteer advisors as well as some volunteer solicitors. The services they offer include legal advice and help with form filling.
- Thursday Evening Advice Sessions: On Thursday evenings one volunteer solicitor sees clients by appointment. Matrimonial and general matters are dealt with on alternate weeks. You could attend to help with a combination of reception duties and observation of client interviews, note-taking and preparing a brief case note.
- Guildford County Court Helpdesk: On Monday mornings a specialist CAB volunteer representative provides advice/representation on repossession cases at the Guildford County Court. You could attend to observe and note-take.
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Visiting detainees
The London Detainee Support Group (LDSG) partner volunteer visitors with immigration detainees held at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centres near Heathrow. Visitors offer emotional support and practical help at a time when detainees are very vulnerable. For many detainees, these volunteers are their only contact with the outside world.
As a visitor you are there to befriend and support your detainee. You can act as a middle man should they wish to see a solicitor, but you must not give any legal advice. LDSG recruit student volunteers and if you are dedicated to Welfare and Immigration issues, this is a good way to get first hand experience of the Immigration system.
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Further information
There are many other organisations recruiting students for a variety of Pro Bono work. Students interested may find opportunities via the following sources.
Youth Justice Board (YJB): The YJB is responsible for youth justice services on a region by region basis and involves local community volunteers. Volunteering might appeal to students committed to a career in criminal law. Further details can be found at www.yjb.gov.uk
Amicus: This charity arranges internships for law graduates and lawyers with capital defence offices in the USA. Further details can be found at www.amicus-alj.org
www.legalternatives.co.uk: This is a pro bono / legal placements website.
Victim Support: This national charity helps the victims of crime and provides free, confidential and non judgemental support and information following all forms of crime.
Police Station Representatives Accreditation Scheme: This nationally recognised qualification allows non-solicitors to become competent to advise suspects at the Police Station. You can find further information at www.lawsociety.org.
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