Student opportunities

with our Legal Advice Service

Legal Advice Service

We want to empower students to put their skills and knowledge into practice in real-world settings, getting them ready for their future career. For our law students, this is where our Legal Advice Service comes in.

You will have opportunities to interview real clients, expand your legal research skills, and craft detailed letters of advice on a wide range of legal matters. Client meetings are supervised by the clinic manager who is a fully qualified solicitor.

On top of this, you can shadow solicitors from local law firms and get immersed in what it’s like in the real world. Our dedicated family law clinics, in partnership with Lewis Rodgers solicitors, for example, work in conjunction with charities including Women’s Aid, offering students the chance to experience important pro bono cases.

All our clinics provide members of our local community with free access to preliminary legal advice. So while you gain professional skills, you’ll also be providing a vital service.

Types of cases you’ll encounter

 

Our Legal Advice Service comprises of several clinics, focusing on different areas of the law. Examples of the types of issues you could be working on include:

·       Family and divorce, including contact with children

·       Domestic abuse clinics

·       Housing matters, such as terms of student tenancy agreements

·       Consumer rights

·       Neighbour disputes, such as boundary matters

·       Employment rights, including discrimination against employees 

[It] is incredible to say the least. It really shows you what you’re going to be doing if you go into practice.”

Kerry Moynihan

LLB (Hons) Law graduate

Your role

When a client has booked a session, you’ll work with another student, under the supervision of a qualified solicitor, to interview the client and gather as much information as you can. This will take around 30 minutes.

If it is determined that you can support the client, you’ll then have 14 days to conduct your research around the matter in order to present the client with a detailed letter of advice. This could include signposting to relevant services or determining if the client has a legal case.

 

Although you will have supervision and coaching, you will be doing this work independently, growing your practical application of legal knowledge and building the foundations of the skills you need for your future career. 

Law Course Introduction

The Legal Advice Service at University of Staffordshire

Video

Law students, Ryan and Graham discuss the process and how the experience will benefit them after their studies.

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What our partners say: 

 

 

The students at Staffordshire are a credit to the university.

At Lewis Rodgers we are dedicated to giving back to the education system, and encouraging and nurturing the next generation of lawyers. The students at Staffordshire are a credit to the university, they attend each session positively and actively participate in the discussion and reflection after each case

Anna Brunt

Solicitor and Director, Lewis Rodgers

 

 

 

 

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