Law students open free legal advice clinics in Lancaster

The clinics offer face-to-face, telephone and virtual appointments every Monday from this week to March 25 providing free legal advice across a range of areas.

Client appointments are conducted by third-year or postgraduate Law students, and any follow-up legal advice letters sent to clients are supervised by a qualified solicitor, who is an expert in their field.

The Law Clinics are supervised by four members of staff, solicitors and lecturers Sadie Whittam, Kathryn Saban, Zanele Nyoni-Wood and Eleanor Belshire, who oversee the service.

Clients are invited to run through their legal problems. Then, working in teams of two, the student advisors take details of key issues.

They then liaise with the clinic leaders, all qualified solicitors, to talk through potential research areas and agree actions.

The students then provide clients with an approved letter of advice within 21 days of the initial appointment.

Clinics will cover an array of general legal issues including:

• Landlord and tenant disputes
• Small claims
• Family law
• Education law
• Consumer rights
• Wills
• Personal legal problems

‘In person’ appointments are held on the Lancaster University campus in the Bowland North Law Clinic rooms and are open to all.

Clinics will not cover issues linked to crime or challenges against universities or law firms and they will not advise on any cases where solicitors have already been instructed or court action has started.

“The Law Clinic provides much needed assistance to members of the public who might not otherwise be able to access free legal advice,” says solicitor and lecturer Kathryn Saban.

“The Law Clinic enables students to apply the law to real life problems, and it is great that clients will receive legal advice at no charge.

“At a time when legal aid has been cut dramatically, and legal information is not always readily available to the community, Lancaster University Law Clinic continually works to fill the gaps left by legal aid cuts by providing free legal advice to members of the public.”

To make an appointment, please email [email protected]. Alternatively, you can book an appointment via the website https://www.lancasterlawclinic.co.uk/