News In Focus
6 April 2009
Unversity law clinic wins award
The University of Strathclyde's student-run law clinic has won a national award for widening access to legal services.
It won "Best Contribution by a Law School" in the LawWorks & Attorney General Student Awards.
Strathclyde's law clinic offers free legal advice and representation to members of the public who do not qualify for legal aid but still cannot afford professional fees.
Competition judges described Strathclyde's contribution to the awards as “a watershed for student pro bono activity in Scotland; long overlooked and now well and truly centre stage".
Nine students involved in the Law Clinic were presented with their trophy at the awards ceremony in the House of Lords, along with Professor Donald Nicolson, founder and director of the clinic.
Lord Hope of Craighead, Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, also attended and took the Strathclyde delegation on a tour of the Houses of Parliament.
One of the students, Stuart Kelly, said: “We were told that, as the only law clinic in Scotland, we were serving not just a community but a country and that we were a dynamic group who could help to develop more of a pro bono culture in Scotland.”
Strathclyde was also nominated in the Best Team of Students category for the work of its committee in running the clinic, and for the Best Contribution by an Individual Student – for Alasdair Stewart, for his work on behalf of clients and in developing an impressive case management system.