Sally Gill explains the concept of LawIRL at City Law School, University of London......

What is LawIRL?

The City Law School has a long history of involvement with pro bono activities dating back 20 years to when the Law School was based in the Inns of Court. Pro Bono Publico is a Latin term which means “for the public good”. In plain English it translates as the contemporary term “Law IRL.”

We provide our students with the opportunity to experience the law beyond the classroom whilst widening access to justice and the legal profession by offering many opportunities for students to gain experience in the law:

• City Community Legal Advice Centre (CityCLAC)
• Legal Work Placements
• Public Legal Education / “Streetlaw” activities
• Court Visits
• Mock trials?

By undertaking these activities students will enhance their CV, whilst gaining valuable skills to take into their future legal career. The experiences will help develop competencies for entry into the legal profession or graduate employment. The Director of the City Community Legal Advice Centre (CityCLAC) has put in place a wide range of activities open to students at each stage of their studies with the City Law School. This ‘ladder’ of opportunities will develop the experience needed to improve employability and effectively prepare students to start building a career in the law.

In year 1 of their LLB course students can attend hearings, visit courts, and observe a CityCLAC session where they have the privilege of observing qualified lawyers providing legal advice to real clients. As a student progresses with their studies additional opportunities become available, for example becoming a CityCLAC Student Adviser, or volunteering with a City Law School pro bono project such as the Schools Exclusion Project or the Company Insolvency Pro Bono Scheme.

Each year we strive to develop new relationships with law firms and local community centres to widen the opportunities for our students. We have a network of not for profit partner organisations for whom we recruit where students can volunteer and gain valuable, transferable skills.

This brings together everyone involved under a common purpose: Widening access to justice and the legal profession. Getting involved in LawIRL helps develop your skills, confidence and knowledge of the legal sector. For example, students working in the CityCLAC, get to practice their client interviewing / conferencing skills, and undertake drafting and legal research. All of these are essential lawyering skills, and very much transferrable to other graduate entry and professional jobs. Volunteering gives you a sense of purpose and an opportunity to see law in practice. We thoroughly recommend you get involved.

All our experiential learning adheres to the Pro Bono Protocol which was developed by the Attorney General's Pro Bono Coordinating Committee and has been endorsed by the Law Society of England and Wales, Bar Council of England and Wales and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.

Clinical legal education provides the opportunity to learn through doing. Reflection is something which is a necessary skills for lifelong learning, and certainly entry into the legal profession. We encourage all our students to reflect on their journey through University, to assess their growth and development. By reflecting on the experience students are able to better understand where they need to improve or gain experience as an individual. The process of reflection helps you to become more resilient, informed and open individuals who are able to continually improve their skills throughout life. It also helps law students translate their experience into the competencies employers ask students to demonstrate on job applications and interviews.

Reflective learning is an essential skill for lawyers as they are responsible for maintaining their own competence. If you want to read more about the skills or competencies necessary for entry into the solicitors profession please read the statement of solicitor competence, or the equivalent Bar Standards Board.?

Hear from our past students, and volunteers:

• “I highly recommend applying to work at the clinic as the experience is truly wonderful and extremely interesting!!”?Angjelina Ahmeti – volunteer at the UoL Human Rights & Refugee Clinic
• “I want to thank the?FRU team?for this amazing opportunity for all law students to develop their skills and all the law – this needs to be added with the image gallery so held off for now? Students who volunteer and help the fight to access to justice.” -?Aksa Ghafoor?FRU Representative
• Associate Solicitor at Travers Smith Employment Department “It’s been great working at the law clinic”
• The COIN scheme is a great way of meeting people you wouldn’t normally meet. I developed friendships over my time volunteering, there was a real sense of camaraderie formed with fellow volunteers and this is a real testament to how great the scheme is.?I highly recommend volunteering on the CO.IN Scheme in the Winding Up Court. Darshbir Singh Chahal?attended the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an LLB (Honours) in Scots Law. Completing the GDL at BPP University, he then underwent the BPTC/LLM at The City Law School. He is a student member of Middle Temple.
• “The most fulfilling aspect of working with?SEP?is the appreciation expressed by those who we can help, particularly as they face incredibly difficult situations. Working for the?School Exclusion Project?has been one of my most rewarding experiences during my course, and a remarkable opportunity.”
• Fatjona is a British-Albanian Law student, who undertook the Graduate Diploma Law at?City Law School. Prior to this, she studied BA Religion, Philosophy and Ethics at King’s College London
• “Pro bono work is an excellent way of learning how to work in a professional environment when you have not had a full-time job before. It is important to know how to behave as it can make a huge difference to your career.” Pro bono Volunteer for Appeal,?Radha Baan was called to the Bar of England and Wales and currently works as a criminal paralegal.?

Sally Gill is the Director of City Community Legal Advice Centre and a founding member of the LawIRL, together with Ian Shaw, the CityCLAC Coordinator who came up with the concept of Law In Real Life!