This year has been one of the most demanding within the Clinic’s history. We spent our first full year adjusting to work in our custom-built facilities in Berkeley Square, as well as introducing two new staff members, and expanding student numbers by 40% from 120 in 2016/17 to 168 this academic year. All of these changes were necessary for Clinic development, more clients approaching us with more cases than ever before, thus resulting in the need for more students and so more staff oversight. Yet change brings its own challenges which must all be managed while the new student committee settle in, and attempt to tackle the year ahead.

Growth has also occurred within our outreach branch. We continued receiving cases from CLIC Sargent, offering legal support to the families of young people suffering with cancer, as well running our Litigants in Person project at the local County Courts. This particular service has grown from strength to strength, this academic year receiving the ‘Team of the Year’ award from the Bristol Law Society. Students have also run presentations with Bristol Women’s Voice, and 3 schools as part of our School Presentations Project, educating students on legal issues which will inevitably affect them in the near future (for example, employment rights for 16-18 year olds).

Two completely new projects were also formed this year. The first of these – our ‘Tenancy Issues Drop-In’ – came to fruition after establishing a link with the university Accommodation Office. Aimed specifically at those experiencing tenancy and housing problems, we ran 12 drop-ins and took on 11 cases through this alone. Given that this was the first year it ran, we predict even greater numbers in the future. In addition, our Bristol Mind outreach initiative was also born. This is a project I set up last September, and have been working on throughout the year. I felt that a gap was lacking in our services – while we already offer legal support to those suffering at the hands of physical illness or addiction through Bristol Drugs Project, others seeking help for mental illness were not catered for. In addition, I knew that we could offer the possibility of referring our clients to Mind if we felt that they needed support beyond which we offer. We have already accepted cases from Mind, and I have set up a drop-in at our facilities for these clients specifically going forward.

The evening gave me the opportunity to present an overview of the year to all in attendance, allowing them to share in the immense pride I have for our Clinic and the students who make the wheels turn smoothly. This general celebration was then followed by prize giving, in which the ‘best student’ from each year, selected based upon a mixture of their dedication, case numbers, and involvement with outreach and other projects was awarded with a certificate and Amazon voucher. Professor Joanne Conaghan, Head of the Law School, kindly presented the awards to each student, as well as explaining the important of pro bono and the invaluable community service the Clinic provides. The ‘Best Overall Student’ award, sponsored by Osborne Clarke, was then presented by Sarah Knight of their Corporate Team. This award is given to a student who has shown great commitment to the Clinic and pro bono work throughout their membership, exhibited by their involvement in extra projects and going above and beyond general expected time commitments.

Congratulations again to the following students for their wins:

‘Best First Year’: Richard Chen

‘Best Second Year’: William Morton

‘Best Final Year’: Jackie Tay

‘Best Postgraduate’: Lee-Anne Jameson

‘Best Overall Student’: Bella Cooper

The night was a humbling way to end the busy year. As well as looking back on our successes, the next committee was introduced, who will seek to continue our work to date. It also provided the perfect opportunity to thank Osborne Clarke for their help and support this year. Having been only our second year of sponsorship, our partnership has already been extremely fruitful – students particularly benefitting from training sessions held during the first term. I cannot wait to see how this relationship develops in years to come.

I would like to use this opportunity to thank all members again for their efforts this year. While I have experienced a testing and challenging year as Student Director, having the cooperation of devoted students has made my job a lot easier. Thank you also to the staff for supporting myself and the rest of the committee, through busy days and late evenings. I have learned more than I thought I could during my post, and none of this would have been possible without your guidance.

Written by Bethane Harland, outoging Law Clinic Student Director.