Kent Law Clinic celebrates its 40th anniversary

The multi-award winning Kent Law Clinic at the University is to celebrate its 40th anniversary on Saturday 9 June with a garden party for more than 400 guests.

Among those attending the celebration at the University’s Canterbury campus will be: Professor Dame Julia M Goodfellow, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent; past and present students and Law Clinic solicitors; volunteer solicitors and barristers from local practice; members of the judiciary; and colleagues from Kent Law School and the University.

The celebration will also be looking to the future, highlighting the current Kent Law Campaign which is fundraising to build facilities for the Kent Law Clinic and its Mooting Programme. The campaign (www.kent.ac.uk/giving/lawcampaign/index.html) has already raised over £1million in donations and pledges from individuals, Trusts and Foundations, and companies.

Clinical legal education in England was pioneered with the establishment of Kent Law Clinic in 1972. The Clinic was founded by Adrian Taylor, who became its first Director.

Taking up the baton in 1992, the second and current Director, Professor John Fitzpatrick, has continued to lead a highly successful free legal service for the benefit of local residents provided by staff and students of the Kent Law School working with volunteer solicitors and barristers in practice locally.

Working from offices in Canterbury and Medway in the fields of employment, housing, welfare benefits, contract, tort, immigration, asylum, public law and many others, the Clinic has constantly striven to use the law to improve the quality of life of those in need, and in the process to enhance the legal education of students in the Kent Law School.

Over the years it has received: two Attorney General’s Awards, one for the Clinic and for student Samantha Loader (2004); The Times/Justice Award for outstanding contribution to civil justice (1998); Times Higher Education Award for outstanding contribution to the local community (2007); the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for excellence (2008); and three LawWorks & Attorney General’s Awards, including Best Individual Student (Taymour Keen, 2008), Best Contribution by a Law School (2011) and Best New Pro Bono Activity (2012). It has also been shortlisted for Pro Bono Team of the Year in The Lawyer Awards 2012.

In 2006, Professor Fitzpatrick was awarded an OBE for ‘services to the administration of justice’.

Professor Rosemary Hunter, Head of Kent Law School, will be among those joining the celebrations. She said: ‘We continue to be extremely proud of the invaluable service the Clinic provides to local people in need, and of the enormous benefit that it provides to the education of students. To receive national recognition from the legal profession is a testament to everyone involved in making the Clinic so successful.’

Contact: pressoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 4:22pm 6 June 2012