Student Volunteering Week: enhancing your prospects through volunteering

Press release issued: 19 February 2018

Today marks the beginning of National Student Volunteering Week (19-25 February) and an opportunity to celebrate the work of the Law Clinic. The skills that students gain by being involved plays a significant role in helping them stand out in the recruitment process and secure training contracts with leading law firms.

Mariya Kolimyets and Alice Ratcliffe, both previous winners of the annual Law Clinic Volunteer of the Year award went on to secure training contracts with Norton Rose Fulbright and DAC Beachcroft LLP respectively. Rhona Egerton, last year’s Student Director of the Law Clinic has also secured a position with Allen and Overy, whilst Paige Franks will shortly be starting in the Claims Handling team at RPC. Find out more about Mariya, Alice and Paige online.

Law Clinic celebrates successful cases

In December, students working in the Law Clinic celebrated the successful outcomes of two hearings. Law student and Vice Director of the Law Clinic, Bryan Wang, worked on a case for a client with a degenerative disease whose employment support allowance had been revoked by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Clinic contended the inaccuracies and inconsistencies of the medical report the DWP based their reviewal on, to which the DWP conceded. The judge held that the client more clearly marked regulation descriptors than when originally approved for employment support allowance and ruled in the client’s favour.

In another case, students Sarah Andrews and Charlotte Mantell were successful at an appeal hearing for their client regarding her Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which has replaced Disability Living Allowance. Read full story.

How to get involved

Each year, the Clinic invites applications for funded Summer Internships to ensure that the service is offered to the public all year-round. Details about the roles will be advertised soon through the Law Clinic website and their Facebook page, so make sure you follow them to stay up to date with the latest opportunities and news.

Further information

Law Clinic Annual Review

We are committed to providing our students with a stand out education. Being part of the Law Clinic means delivering a crucial community service that helps individuals in the community gain access to the justice they deserve – while helping to develop the softer skills many employers are looking for. The nature and extent of law clinic experience is a recurring question in interviews – and can set our students apart. With a focus on the partnerships we have forged in the local community this year’s annual review outlines how members of the Clinic are Standing up for Justice.

In December, Bristol 24/7 ran a feature on the Law Clinic and the valuable work done by the students involved. You can read the full article here.