Award recognition continues for Law Clinic

Teesside University Law Clinic has won national recognition in the LawWorks & Attorney General's Student Pro Bono Awards 2017.

Teesside won the award for best contribution by a team of students at the annual awards celebrated on 26 April in the House of Commons in London.

Hosted by the Attorney General, Jeremy Wright MP, the awards celebrate the best pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law schools and the positive impact those activities have had on those who have been assisted.

The Law Clinic, based in the University’s School of Social Sciences, Business & Law, has a dual purpose in providing law students with real practical experience of handling legal cases, while offering a service to the community in cases where people may otherwise find it difficult to afford legal advice and representation.

Since its launch in 2012, Teesside Law Clinic has dealt with over 1,000 enquires including referrals from solicitors, the courts, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and MPs. The team has also recovered or saved in excess of one and a half million pounds for clients.

The Law Clinic has also been shortlisted for the Pro Bono/Community Initiative in the Northern Law Awards 2017 for the third consecutive year. The winners will be announced in Newcastle in June. This nomination was as a result of the Law Clinic’s work in offering advice to former steelworkers who were not in a union following the closure of the SSI site in Redcar.

Andrew Perriman, Senior Lecturer in Law, Teesside Law Clinic, said: 'This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work and dedication of students past and present.

'The work we do in Teesside Law Clinic identifies the University's commitment to the local community, which has now achieved national recognition with this award.'

The Law Clinic was commended by the Attorney General in 2015 for its work on a legal challenge on behalf of a client to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in a bid to secure fair payouts for historic abuse victims.

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