For many ordinary people, receiving high-quality legal advice is simply a pipe dream, with a large portion of the general public priced out of such services. However, the University’s Student Law Clinic is changing the way people in the city think about legal cases.
What is the Law Clinic?
The clinic, based at the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s, is operated and run by final year LLB (Hons) Law students as part of specified modules, giving quality assistance to those who need it and providing students with an unparalleled experience of the legal world.
Crucially, the clinic allows access for members of the public who can’t afford legal representation to get free advice and consultation on a wide range of legal problems, from divorce to tenancy disputes.
How do students benefit from the Law Clinic?
As part of the team here, students will be involved in interviewing clients both over the phone and in person, discussing the merits of taking on the case with a supervisor, and conducting research before writing and filing their report and sending a letter of advice to the client.
Undertaking these tasks in the clinic is a fantastic way for students to apply legal theory to real-life scenarios and clients. This is also something that's highly valued by employers and in an increasingly competitive job market, this practical experience can help set students apart.
"The Student Law Clinic provides excellent experience with real clients and legal issues. It mirrors work that you'd be doing at the start of your career in a law firm. For someone who didn't have any legal experience, this was pivotal in gaining employment after I graduated."
Daniel George Peacock
LLB (Hons) Law and LLM Legal Practice graduate
Law at Sunderland
We’ve worked hard to ensure our courses place emphasis on practical education, and give our students the experience and skills we know employers are looking for. The Law Clinic is just one example of an opportunity to work in a real-life and fast-paced environment and allows students to demonstrate they're able to do that.
Our ethos is to create a strong community environment, and our academic teaching staff take a hands-on approach, including helping our students with any Law Clinic-related cases if it’s needed. We operate an open-door policy across the department and strongly encourage our students to reach out for support when it's needed.
Find out more about the courses we offer by visiting the Law subject area. We’d love to meet you, so visit us on campus to speak to our academic team and students at one of our Open Days.
Published: 20 February 2023