Scottish University Law Clinic Network Round Table Event
Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:04:00 BST
On the 7th June director of the university’s Legal Advice Clinic, Phil Drake was accompanied by three students at the Scottish University Law Clinic Network Round Table Event at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. The day is designed to be an open discussion about access to justice and in particular how universities can help to ameliorate some of the problems that arise as a result of budget cuts. The conference this year focussed on ‘street law’ a form of public legal education which has taken off in a big way this year at the University of Huddersfield under the leadership of Professor Stuart Toddington.
The first talk was about the origins of street law and how in South Africa under apartheid or less affluent regions of the United States, simply informing people of their rights made a huge difference to minority communities. The second talk revolved around the different clinical models available to universities and overcoming the difficulties of a limited budget. It became clear from this discussion that a strong sense of social justice could go beyond being simply an ethical position and also be of immense practical importance.
One of the students commented: “Overall the whole experience not only showed us the importance of Street Law and the various different ways in which other Law Clinics operate. It showed us that at Huddersfield we have a good foundation for success in regards to delivering social justice as a lot of the ideas mentioned we have developed further.”
