The Kent Law Clinic
What is the Kent Law Clinic?
Engaging with the law as it affects the lives of ordinary people is a superb way of getting to think about how it works, and how it doesn't
The Law Clinic is a partnership between students, academics and solicitors and barristers in practice locally. It has two objects: to provide a public service for local people who need legal advice and representation but cannot afford to pay for it, and to enhance the education of students in the Kent Law School.
The Clinic has received numerous awards recognising and celebrating its work, most recently having been awarded both a 2007 Queen's Anniversary Prize and the Times Higher 2007 Award for 'Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community'.
How can students get involved?
Law students at both the Canterbury and Medway sites of the Kent Law School have the opportunity of working in the Kent Law Clinic.
In the Law Clinic students have the full conduct of cases on behalf of clients - under the close supervision of qualified lawyers. They can deepen and broaden their knowledge of law through the experience of working on live cases and through a structured reflection on that legal practice.
Students can also develop specific legal skills. The casework requires them to undertake such tasks as interviewing, legal research, corresponding, drafting statements of case, negotiating and appearing as advocates before the Employment Tribunal, the County Court and other forums. Work carried out in the Law Clinic can count towards a student's final degree in law, and there are many ways that students can get involved.
Student participation takes place at a number of levels. There is in the Clinic a culture and atmosphere of enthusiastically engaged involvement with the practice of law, and with the legal issues that arises in the world beyond the university. Students may:
- have the full conduct of cases (under supervision) for clients of the Clinic
- attend a weekly Clinic meeting to hear about and discuss new cases
- act as a receptionist for an hour a week in one of the Clinic offices
- attend one of five weekly sessions at which volunteer practising lawyers advise clients
- become a co-ordinator of an advice session working with the local volunteer lawyers
- be elected as Chair, or to the student committee, or to the management committee
- participate in meetings, debates and projects on current legal issues
- take the 2nd/3rd year 'Clinical Option' module as part of LLB curriculum
- have their clinical work assessed as part of their final marks in other modules too
Volunteer Legal Advisors
The legal advisors listed generously volunteer their time to advise clients (and work with students) at the Clinic Advice Sessions on Monday evenings, and also to provide much welcome assistance to Clinic staff. They are mostly solicitors and barristers in practice locally, but some are based in London. The Kent Law Clinic could not function as it does without their contribution. They are not to be contacted on any matter relating to the advice given by them at Clinic Advice Sessions.
List of volunteer legal advisors (.doc)
Members of the Public
Members of the public seeking help from the Law Clinic should telephone for an appointment (01227 823311, October to March inclusive). The Law Clinic provides advice in the following areas in particular – employment, housing, benefits, contract, consumer, negligence, nuisance, family, immigration, asylum, planning and public law matters generally.