Strathclyde Law Clinic
Strathclyde’s Law Clinic aims to improve access to justice by providing free legal advice and representation services to members of the public who cannot afford a solicitor and cannot obtain legal aid. The advice and representation work is carried out by volunteer law students, closely supervised by a small team of staff solicitors.
To date, the Clinic has helped over 6,000 people and reached a total of over £2 million won/saved for clients since its inception in 2003. Philanthropic support has played a key part of this success and the University was honoured to receive a gift in the Will of the late Mr Robert F Smith which was directed towards the Clinic.
The impact of legacies
“The Robert F Smith legacy had a huge impact on the Law Clinic. Although the Law Clinic had supervising solicitors, resources for them were limited with fixed term contracts about to expire. The Robert Smith legacy not only allowed us to retain the expertise and skills of the existing solicitors but enabled us to expand, employing two new part time supervising solicitors.
The number of cases we can help with is directly related to the supervision we can provide and this has a direct effect on the number of students who can volunteer.
This legacy led to our considerable growth, with over 270 students working on cases and projects. It allowed us to take on many cases, often for vulnerable clients with complex issues, honing the skills and experience of students while giving voice to those who would otherwise struggle to navigate their legal situation.
Our students were able to represent in Employment Tribunal hearings, negotiate successful outcomes in consumer disputes, carry out public legal education in prisons and schools, and engage in new collaborations such as the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre and the Destitute Asylum Support Service.” - Dr Rhonda Wheate, Director, Clinical Programmes.
Supporting future lawyers
The supervising solicitors provide student volunteers with both practical and psychological support. Court and tribunal representation can be very daunting, but students benefit from their supervisors’ detailed legal knowledge, and learn how to represent vulnerable clients using a holistic empathetic approach which ensures dignity and respect throughout the process. We’re incredibly grateful for Robert’s support in developing the next generation of lawyers whilst improving access to justice in the community at large.