Nominations for the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Awards are now open, with a closing date of 20th March.
In the year to March 2015, more than 2,000 law students helped with over 11,000 enquiries from individual members of the public at clinics in the LawWorks Clinic Network. Nearly a third of clinics in the LawWorks Clinic Network are run or supported by law schools.
Martin Barnes, Chief Executive of LawWorks said:
“The Student Awards celebrate the incredible commitment, passion and contribution of the many students and law schools providing pro bono legal advice in England and Wales.
Restrictions in legal aid and cuts in funding for local law centres have significantly reduced people's ability to access legal advice and representation, putting greater demand and pressure on pro bono services. While pro bono is not, and should not be seen as, an alternative to legal aid, law students and law schools make an important contribution to enabling people to access the advice and support they need.
As well as making a valuable contribution to local communities, pro bono volunteering can bring many benefits and opportunities for students, including personal development and gaining legal knowledge and skills. Early experience of pro bono can instil a passion and commitment to pro bono that can last a whole career”.
The judges for the awards are:
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Robert Bourns, Vice President, the Law Society;
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Tom Laidlaw, Head of Academic and Public Sector Marketing, LexisNexis;
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Alison Padfield, Co-Chair of the Bar Council Pro Bono Panel; and
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Isla Grant, Senior editor, LawCareers.Net.
The LawWorks and Attorney General Student Awards are sponsored by Lexis Nexis.
The awards celebrate the best pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law schools in the following categories:
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Best contribution by an individual student;
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Best contribution by a law school (undergraduate and postgraduate);
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Best contribution by a team of students; and
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Best new pro bono activity.
The awards include the Access to Justice Foundation award for an educational body or student who has made a significant contribution to promoting access to justice.
The winners of the LawWorks and Bar Pro Bono Unit Law School Challenge will also be presented with an award at the event on 28th April.
Notes:
LawWorks is a charity working in England and Wales to connect volunteer lawyers and law students with people in need of legal advice, who are not eligible for legal aid and cannot afford to pay, and with the not for profit organisations that support them and their communities.
LawWorks supports a network of independent pro bono advice clinics across England and Wales, and facilitates the provision of free legal advice for smaller charities and not-for-profit organisations.
Information about the Student Awards 2016, and an online nomination form, can be found at: https://www.lawworks.org.uk/solicitors-and-volunteers/get-involved/law-schools-and-student-pro-bono/lawworks-attorney-general.
LawWorks is supported by the Law Society, the independent professional body for solicitors.
For further information about LawWorks visit: www.lawworks.org.uk
For more information, contact: valerie.hudson@lawworks.org.uk