Published on 22 May 2024
The talented students of the Sunderland Student Law Clinic have received a Gold Award in the LawWorks Law School Challenge which they received at the Houses of Parliament.
This is the second year running that the students of the Law Clinic have won the award. They have raised an incredible £2,027.51, all of which will go to LawWorks to help those in need of pro-bono legal advice.
Two students from the Sunderland Student Law Clinic, Matthew Biggerstaff and Katrina Priest were able to attend the awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament alongside their law clinic supervisor, Dr Kat Langley. The day was a great celebration of all the pro-bono work being carried out across the country.
Student Katrina Priest, President of the Sunderland Student Law Society, said, "It was amazing to be able to raise so much money for this worthwhile charity and whilst it was hard work, I hope that everyone had fun along the way.
“We held a Law School quiz, which saw us pitched against our lecturers and head of the law school. I would like to say we won, unfortunately the lecturers grabbed that first place spot! We also held our very first Student Law Society dinner at the Roker Hotel in Sunderland and raised money through ticket sales and raffles.
“It was hard work, and the awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament was a great way to end the semester and celebrate everything we have achieved.”
The Law Clinic is an integral part of the Law School at the University of Sunderland and is an optional module for third-year undergraduate students.
Third-year student Matthew Biggerstaff added, “Being involved in the Law Clinic has shown me just how many people do need legal advice on a pro-bono basis and has given me a great insight into what skills I will need if I go into legal practice. Working with so many other external solicitors and barristers has also shown me that there can be a place for pro-bono work in legal practice and I hope to be able to give something back one day and continue to be involved in pro-bono work in my future career."
Toni Spencer, Law Clinic Director and Principal Lecturer, said: "I am incredibly proud of what the students have achieved this year. Anyone who is involved in fundraising will know just how much hard work goes into this, and it is testament to the students who have achieved this, alongside working on other modules outside of the Law Clinic plus their own casework in the Law Clinic for clients in our local community.
"Since September 2023, the Law Clinic has received nearly 240 enquiries and we have been able to provide legal advice to nearly 100 clients. This is on a wide range of legal issues from housing enquiries and civil disputes, family law issues and preparing wills and lasting power of attorneys. Not only does this give our students firsthand, real-life experience of what it may be like to work in legal practice, but it is also an incredibly valuable contribution to our local community, and is something that we are incredibly proud to be able to offer here at the University of Sunderland."
Toni added: "The Law School at the University of Sunderland is dedicated not only to providing our students with first class teaching, but also those employability skills that they will be able to use and build upon as soon as they gain employment. We feel we do this very well within our Law Degree and this is expanded upon with the Law Clinic. We have also ensured that the Law Clinic is part of our new LLM in Advanced Legal Practice to provide our students with additional experience before they take the Solicitors Qualifying Exam.
"I always tell the students that whilst the Law Clinic is part of their academic degree, the work they are doing is very impactful and they should be proud of that. What they may see as one small piece of work could be life changing for the clients that we serve, and it is that sense of pride in their work that I know they will take with them and this is demonstrated by just how well they have done in this year’s LawWorks Challenge."
If you are interested in studying Law at the University, find out more here: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/study/law/undergraduate-law/