Tough competition for Law Clinic places

"I strongly believe that understanding the operations of the clinic, by sitting in on a case and acting as a junior by recording notes and the chronology of events when the client is being interviewed by the senior, gives an invaluable insight into how a case progresses. It is a crucial element in enabling new members to be confident in their role," Nick Roper, Student Director.

19 November 2015

Following an extensive recruitment drive, University of Bristol’s Law Clinic received over 220 applications for just 35 spaces. Student Director, Nick Roper, discusses the process and why places are in such high demand.

This year, University of Bristol’s Law Clinic has continued to expand both in the number of students working as members of the clinic – and in the growing opportunities there are for providing pro-bono support for people in the local community.

The number of applications that we received from law students this year was nearly double that of last year. The application process included a workshop and an evening reception for prospective recruits to speak to members of the committee. There were 35 available spaces for new members this academic year which meant that discerning between applications was very difficult.

The new members joined the operations of the clinic in early November and began working alongside our returning members on cases acting as juniors, enabling them to ‘learn on the job’.

So far we have had over 30 cases allocated to pairs of students to work on. Again, this illustrates a significant increase in interest in the Bristol Law Clinic from members of the community and clearly shows the impact and reputation that the clinic holds within Bristol.

The cases that we have so far dealt with have been very varied. The multifarious range of cases offers students the chance to work on issues which they otherwise would not deal with in their degree. Cases have included disputes in relation to TV licences, tenancy disputes, landlord disputes, eviction notices, courier disputes, insurance claims to name but a few. We hope to continue to receive a wide range of cases for the members to work on in the future.

It is the contention within the student committee, as well as the academic director’s, that the clinic will continue to develop next year.

We are currently looking to establish a working relationship with a local law firm to provide both student training from their trainees – and practical insight into how this type of work will be dealt with in a legal practice. In response to the overwhelming number of exceptional applications which we received this year, we are also hoping to expand the number of students who we can take on as members.

Finally, we are committed to expanding the presence of the law clinic in the local community. We are exploring leads to establish further links with local schools, colleges and organisations to offer presentations through our StreetLaw programme. A developed network within the community will ultimately give rise to more cases for the Advice Section of the clinic as the reputation and awareness of the clinic within the local community develops.

Nicholas Roper is Student Director of the University of Bristol Law Clinic. He has been a member of the clinic since 2013 and is currently in his third year as a member of the committee.

Further information

The 2014/15 Law Clinic Annual Review has just been published in the careers and employability are of the Law School website.

For more information about the Law Clinic visit http://www.bristollawclinic.co.uk/