Access to Justice

Supporting vulnerable individuals and communities with direct legal help and education

Supporting clients as they courageously revisit painful experiences has been humbling. I’ve come to see how something as practical as a legal advice letter can offer clarity, confidence, and even help shift the outcome — making the LSE Legal Advice Clinic one of my most rewarding experiences at LSE.

LSE Legal Advice Clinic

The Legal Advice Clinic aims to improve access to justice by providing free, confidential legal advice to members of the public on a range of issues including employment and family law.

Clients get in touch by filling in an online enquiry form or by emailing the Clinic. Trained law students, under the supervision of qualified lawyers, interview clients to understand their issues and research the relevant legal matters. Typically, clients receive a written letter of advice within two weeks of the initial interview. We are part of the LawWorks Clinics Network.

The Clinic offers free and confidential one-off written advice on the following issues only:

• Employment law
• Family law
• Personal injury law
• Public Protest
• Contested probate

All work is overseen by specialist solicitors and barristers from leading law firms and chambers.

Client appointments are held either face-to-face on campus or online via Teams. On the day of the appointment, students, working in pairs, welcome the client and conduct the interview, observed by their supervising lawyer. This meeting is crucial for gathering detailed facts about the client’s issue, although no legal advice is given at this stage.

Students discuss the case with their supervising lawyer before and after the appointment. Over the following two weeks, students analyse the client’s problem, identify key issues, conduct thorough research, and draft a comprehensive letter of advice, which is usually sent to the client two weeks after their initial appointment.

For personal injury cases, public protest and contested probate we are partnering with leading London law firm Hodge Jones and Allen. Clients are seen by a specialist solicitor who provides one-off verbal advice during the appointment. Students take detailed notes, and the advice is confirmed in writing within two weeks.

Homelessness Legal Clinic with Centrepoint and Shelter

In partnership with leading homeless charities Centrepoint and Shelter, the clinic supports young people who have been unlawfully turned away by local authorities without proper assessment—a practice known as "gatekeeping."

The clinic helps young people challenge failures to assess their homelessness applications, offering much-needed support while also giving LSE students valuable, real-world legal experience in housing law. Students work in pairs to interview young people and draft letters of advice and representation under the supervision of specialist housing lawyers from Shelter.

Miscarriages of Justice project with Appeal

Students take part in fortnightly on-campus workshops led by lawyers from Appeal, a charity and law practice dedicated to challenging wrongful convictions and promoting a fairer justice system. These sessions provide a history of miscarriages of justice, a comprehensive overview of the appeals process and insight into how wrongful convictions are investigated and challenged. Students will also have the chance to assist on active cases, gaining hands-on experience of the legal and investigative work involved.

Appeal brings unsafe convictions and unfair sentences to the Court of Appeal and the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and campaigns on wider issues in order to achieve reform of the criminal justice system. Notable work includes representing Andrew Malkinson in his successful appeal against conviction.

School Tasking

School Tasking brings the law to life for young learners in primary schools, offering them a fun, interactive way to explore the legal world. Inspired by the popular TV show "Taskmaster," this outreach project allows LSE Law students to lead engaging workshops for Year 5 classes. These workshops use teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving to teach essential skills in a playful, challenging environment.

Whether it’s thinking outside the box or working together under time pressure, every child gets the chance to shine through their unique strengths and talents.

Refugee Law Clinic

The University of London’s Refugee Law Clinic is an innovative project providing pro bono legal advice for refugee clients. The clinic's work provides some of the most disadvantaged communities with access to fair and equal legal representation, a basic human right which many asylum seekers in the UK struggle to find.

The clinic's main legal focus is on advising and preparing ‘fresh claims for asylum,’ an area identified as underserviced in the current legal landscape. Student volunteers are trained in the relevant law and policy, as well as a range of other areas such as practical skills, ethics and professional responsibilities. They then work on cases alongside volunteer lawyers from commercial law firms, and under the direct supervision of the supervising lawyer. Students will be involved in the various aspects of preparing a fresh claim submission for appeal rights exhausted asylum seekers. The work might include research, gathering evidence and drafting submissions, as well as interviewing and taking witness statements and reviewing past decision making. Students will also be involved in managing the administration of the clinic.

Student Outdoor Clerks Scheme (SOCS)

Student outdoor clerks attend hearings in the crown court and make detailed notes of the evidence and submissions. Cuts to legal aid mean that many firms can no longer send outdoor clerks to court and this scheme provides a useful resource to defence solicitors and barristers while giving students valuable real life experience of criminal defence work. We are working in partnership with leading criminal law firms including Hodge Jones and Allen, which has been involved in many high profile protest cases including the Colston statue case. Students have the opportunity to clerk trials, sentencing hearings and conferences with counsel on a range of interesting cases including serious crime and public protest cases.