PROFESSOR KATHRYN HOLLINGSWORTH Community, Engagement and Social Justice: Improving the law student experience through pro bono placements

Overview Legacare – local NE charity providing free legal advice to ppl with life-threatening illness Students undertake placements over course of three months

Why the project was established Law student demand for pro bono Commitment to social justice within context of a civic university Employability

How it worked 12 students recruited initially following full application process New students taken on in summer; some given two week full placement Exposes students to wide range of legal subjects Involved in research, file preparation and client interviewing Innovation fund supported costs to Legacare of the student placements

Benefits to students Putting theory into practice Real client contact and interaction Knowing the work they do empowers vulnerable clients and makes a real difference to the quality of their life The opportunity to handle a case from start to finish with strong supervision Exposure to a variety of legal issues Strong experience for C.V Develops holistic skills Potential for training contract Opportunity to accrue time to count towards a training contract

Feedback Students were overwhelmingly positive: ’I think it is fabulous that LegaCare gives so many students the opportunity of gaining work experience.’ ‘Thank you for an amazing experience’

Feedback ‘I was able to transfer my academic knowledge to very practical, real life situations’ ‘It has been a really rewarding and challenging experience’ ‘My knowledge and experience has been enhanced tenfold’

Academic development Students keen to keep it extra-curricula and NOT developed into a module:  Would detract from the ‘altruistic’ feeling  Valued the selection process  More valuable on cv if extra-curricula