Free legal clinic launched
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Law students to help launch free legal clinic in Bath
Friday, 12 March, 2021A free legal clinic is to be launched following a partnership between law firm Stone King, Bath Spa University and Citizens Advice B&NES.
The initiative will be called The Bath Law Clinic and will see top quality legal advice delivered to local residents while at the same time developing work experience opportunities for the lawyers of the future.
Students from Bath Spa University’s LLB (Hons) Law degree will gain vital experience at the clinic and will be supported by lawyers from Stone King.
In a move which will combine the private and not-for-profit sector, Stone King will also help to fund a coordinator’s role at the advice centre. The new coordinator’s role will ensure the smooth running of the innovative project, while also developing further funding options.
Citizens Advice B&NES is based at Edgar Buildings, George Street, Bath, and also carries out outreach work in surrounding areas.
Steven Goulton Bath Spa University LLB Law Course leader said: “This is a fantastic step towards creating a mutually beneficial partnership between Bath Spa University, Stone King LLP and Citizens Advice B&NES which will allow for our students to not only gain key skills and mentorship from solicitors in a leading law firm but also to enable them to understand the concept of social justice from the coal face.
"We are very excited to be working with an award-winning law firm in Stone King and with Les Redwood and the Citizens Advice B&NES. Our partnership will ensure all of our mutual aims of enhancing access to justice for the wider community in B&NES."
Les Redwood, Chief Executive Officer at Citizens Advice B&NES, added: “We are proud and excited to announce the first steps in this long-term strategic partnership with Bath Spa University and Stone King solicitors to provide a law clinic within Bath.
“Citizens Advice B&NES has been delivering a long-term strategy of greater community engagement and increased partnerships across the region over the last two years and this will be another core partnership for the charity delivered over the course of this coming year. This new partnership will give our clients access to free legal advice in a number of specialisms - therefore giving more access to justice for those who need it most.
“We are also delighted to be working with the Bath Business School which began offering an LLB law degree in 2020. Bath Business School are committed to enable their students with practical legal experience and have a strong ethos of wider community engagement and will bring a rich source of students and highly qualified volunteers for the charity for many years to come.
"Adding in the visionary support of Steven Greenwood and the Stone King team was the final piece in this unique partnership to make this a perfect offer for the benefit of our charity and clients, especially at this extremely difficult and challenging time."
Steven Greenwood, Managing Partner at Stone King said: “We believe this is the first time there has been such an initiative with a commercial partner, Citizens Advice B&NES and a university. It really fits in well with our ethos of being a socially responsible business and helping the communities we are proud to serve. It is an innovative project and we hope it can be replicated nationally; we are proud to be part of a unique, long-term collaboration and to be able to give something so worthwhile back.”