LSE’s new Legal Advice Clinic will be launching in January 2025 and we will be recruiting volunteers in November 2024.
Current LSE law students can visit the Pro Bono Moodle site to find out more.
LSE Legal Advice Clinic has the following central aims:
- Immersing students in real-world legal practice: The clinic provides students with the opportunity to work on live cases, allowing them to see how the law operates in practice and its tangible impact on society.
- Fostering a deep respect for the rule of law: It aims to embed within students a profound understanding and appreciation for the rule of law, which is integral to their growth as future legal professionals.
- Serving the community: The clinic enables students to make a positive contribution to our community by providing free legal advice and support to those who cannot afford legal services, particularly in areas where legal aid is no longer available.
How the Legal Advice Clinic works
LSE Legal Advice Clinic provides free legal advice to members of the public.
Clients get in touch by filling in an online enquiry form or by phoning or emailing the Clinic. Trained law students, under the supervision of qualified lawyers, interview clients to understand their issues and research the relevant legal matters. Typically, clients receive a written letter of advice within two weeks of the initial interview.
We are part of the LawWorks Clinics Network.
The Clinic offers free and confidential one-off written advice on the following issues only:
- Employment law
- Family law
All work is overseen by specialist solicitors and barristers from leading law firms and chambers.
Client appointments are held either face-to-face on campus or online via Zoom. On the day of the appointment, students, working in pairs, welcome the client and conduct the interview. This meeting is crucial for gathering detailed facts about the client’s issue, although no legal advice is given at this stage.
Students discuss the case with their supervising lawyer before and after the appointment. Over the following two weeks, students analyse the client’s problem, identify key issues, conduct thorough research, and draft a comprehensive letter of advice, which is usually sent to the client two weeks after their initial appointment.
Benefits to students
Working in the Clinic offers a real-world context where legal issues are complex, often requiring solutions beyond just legal knowledge.
Through this experience, students develop valuable practical skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, legal research, and professionalism.
In the Clinic, students not only learn the law but also how to apply it to real life problems, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practice.
Other Pro Bono opportunities
We also offer students a wide range of other pro bono opportunities including our European Court of Human Rights Amicus Brief project and School Tasking, our legal literacy project which we run in primary schools.