Northumbria scoops Best Contribution by a Law School Award

Northumbria’s Student Law Office remains a unique feature of the pro bono landscape, involving all final year students in real casework throughout the year. It is run by a dedicated team of lawyers who are committed to the belief that ‘hands on’ experience of running cases under academic and practitioner supervision is the best possible way of discovering how text book law works in a practical context.  This enables students to prepare for the world of work while, at the same time, offering a valuable service to the community and maintaining access to justice at a time when this is increasingly under threat.  

Sponsored by legal information provider LexisNexis, the awards were organised by the pro bono charity LawWorks and were presented at the House of Lords. This year Northumbria’s worthy competitors were the University of West of England, University of Manchester, University of Kent, and the College of Law.

The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, who presented the awards, said: “Innovation, excellence and professionalism are writ large in the entries for this year’s awards. We should remember that the entrants have combined busy academic or postgraduate studies with a fierce commitment to their pro-bono work.’’

When we spoke to Philip Plowden, Dean of Northumbria’s School of Law, he told us, “The Student Law Office provides real assistance every year to hundreds of people, with cases that vary from criminal appeals to housing disrepair and from inquests to advice for small businesses.

“It is key to providing justice for the community in which we work but, as proven by this award, also enhances the students’ academic and professional development.’’

During the last academic year, students on the final year of the University’s Exempting Law Degree, the Legal Practice Course and the Bar Vocational Course dealt with over 1,000 enquiries from around the North East and beyond, and took on around 700 cases. The involvement of over 20 members of academic and practitioner staff means that advice can be given across a wide range of areas of expertise including welfare benefits, housing, employment, consumer, criminal appeals, family, small business advice and information and human rights.

While case work is an integral part of the University’s unique four year degree programme, the Student Law Office also runs an expanding ‘Street Law’ or public legal education programme, where students from a wider range of courses can get involved on a voluntary basis by delivering live presentations to schools and community groups on subjects of the host groups’ choosing. The aim is to make the law more accessible to the public and Northumbria is greatly supported by young solicitors and trainees at Eversheds Law Firm in Newcastle who give advice on presentational aspects.