At The University of Law we have an award-winning legal pro bono service. Here are details of some of the programmes we have run in Sheffield. There are changes year-to-year, but we will always provide a range of options designed to enhance the employability of our students.
Employment Legal Advice Clinic (ELAC)
The Sheffield Employment Legal Advice Clinic offers members of the public free legal advice on employment matters. You will sit in during client meetings together with a specialist solicitor and then write a letter of advice to the client and draft any accompanying documents.
By taking part in this opportunity, you can attend the client interview, be involved in researching relevant areas of the law and draft advice & documentation.
Employment Legal Advice Clinic Triage
This experience will see you calling potential clients for the Employment Legal Advice Clinic and taking details of their legal problem before considering, with the help of the Supervising Solicitor, whether the Legal Advice Clinic can help. This is a fantastic opportunity to practise your client interviewing skills.
Small Business Advice Line (SBAL)
We offer a virtual Legal Advice Clinic for Small Businesses, which provides start-up businesses with a free 30-minute telephone appointment to speak to a Commercial Solicitor in relation to their query. You’ll be responsible for conducting the initial client interview and writing up the attendance note after you’ve shadowed the Commercial Solicitor during the appointment.
Midlands Employment Rights Advice Line (MERAL)
MERAL is a telephone advice service for employees with employment problems, based at the University. You’ll gain experience in interviewing clients and have the opportunity to shadow specialist employment lawyers.
Streetlaw Programme
Groups of students prepare and give presentations to raise legal awareness in the community. You could get involved by researching and producing a workshop to help people who need to understand how the law affects them, such as those in schools or local charities and organisations.
Marshalling
Have you ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day life of a Judge? We now have opportunities for our students to shadow a Judge for the day in the Sheffield Crown Court, as well as plenty of Talk and Observer opportunities for those wanting to watch some real-life cases and learn about how the Courts operate.
National Centre for Domestic Violence (NCDV)
This is an organisation that helps victims of domestic violence seek an injunction against their abusers.
A full day of training would be provided at our Sheffield Campus as you will need to have knowledge of the law relating to domestic violence and a working knowledge of NCDV procedures to become involved in this programme. Once trained, you are placed on a rota to interview the client over the phone using a pro forma and would then be required to fill in the necessary paperwork to get the matter to court, so that they can obtain an injunction.
Schools Consent Project
This project teaches school children aged 11-18 about sexual offences, with a particular emphasis on the issue of consent. The aim is to equip students with a knowledge of the legal framework using interactive workshops and examples of real cases. You will develop skills in public speaking and legal research, explaining the law in a clear and concise manner to non-lawyers.
Amnesty International Write for Rights
Students take part in a letter writing scheme on behalf of Amnesty International, culminating on International Human Rights Day in December, when hundreds of thousands of letters and emails are sent worldwide on behalf of perceived injustice. These letters aim to persuade government officials to release people imprisoned for expressing their opinion, stop the use of torture, commute death sentences, and end other human rights abuses.
Through this opportunity you will gain an insight into human rights issues and can develop your objective drafting and communication skills.
Pro Bono and Work Experience
Go back to find out more about the pro bono opportunities that we offer at each of our campuses.
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