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Legal Advice Centre

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Students

The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre is a clinical legal education initiative. We offer opportunities for students to experience law in a practical context and to develop many of the skills required for successful entry into the profession.

Legal Advice Centre students at a conference

The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre provides free legal advice to the public and Queen Mary students and staff. We also run a number of community outreach projects and public legal education initiatives led by our students. The clients, cases, and community groups we work with cover a wide range of legal issues and topics.

Current Queen Mary Students who have access to the online learning platform QMPlus can read more on the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre QMPlus page and access useful resources.

Different roles for students

There are different roles available for students at different points in their education.

First year students

First year students can helping staff to run the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre and reception on appointment evenings. They can also be Note Takers for our Student Advisers, write for our online Legal Blog, and be involved in some of our Public Legal Education projects. Senior Status Law Programme students may also get involved in other project work during their first year.

Second and final year students

Second and final year undergraduate law students can get involved as Student Advisors, interviewing clients about their legal issue and drafting written letters of advice. They can also be involved in the various Public Legal Education Projects we run delivering bespoke workshops.

In addition to the above, final year students who have worked with clients before can apply to be part of the tribunals team on our Social Welfare Benefits project.

All our students must demonstrate that they can act professionally, abide by ethical codes of conduct and respect confidentiality.

Student work in the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre that is extra-curricular is recognised on their transcript as part of the Higher Education Achievement Record.

I loved working with the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre. It challenged me but gave me a real insight into what a law career might entail. I felt very lucky to work as part of an organisation that does such brilliant work for the community.
— Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre Student

Optional undergraduate modules

The Practice of Law in a Clinical Environment

This is a 30 credit optional undergraduate module. This module trains students to be Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre Student Legal Advisers. As Student Legal Advisers these students will complete client cases during the course of the academic year. Students also attend classes designed to develop their knowledge and understanding of: the and theories and practice of clinical legal education; legal professional ethics; costs and funding of a case; and good case strategy. In addition to this, students undertake problem-based learning on their clinical cases to teach them how to approach any legal problem or situation.

This module is assessed through:

  • reflection;
  • a simulated client interview during the second semester;
  • and a mini group viva during the examination period. 

Public Legal Education and Community Street Law

Street Law is a type of clinical legal education which is about educating the public on legal rights and/or responsibilities in their own community setting. It is a form of public legal education rather than specifically advising clients on a 1-2-1 basis. 

The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre offers a 30 credit undergraduate module to law students who will learn the theories and practice behind this interesting topic. During the module students will undertake three Street Law activities in groups.

This module is assessed in two ways:

  • One 3,000 word reflective essay where students reflect on their first two Street Law activities;
  • There is also a presentation where students design and present a new Street Law activity.

How to Apply

If you are a first year student you will be told all about the opportunities available for you in your first year during Welcome Week via email and lectures. There is no need to do anything before you come to Queen Mary.

If you are applying for a role which is open to second or third year students, we email you with all the application details in February of the year before. We usually keep applications open for approximately a month. We aim to let you know whether you have been selected for the following year during the exam period.

If you are applying to do an Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre optional module rather than on an extra-curricular basis, you apply in the same way as other modules at the end of your first or second year.

If you have any questions, get in touch with the staff at lac@qmul.ac.uk.

Queen Mary students outside Hugh Wooding Law School, Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago and Hugh Wooding Law School students outside Queen Mary in London, UK.

Trinidad and Tobago Student Exchange

The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre has a bi-annual student exchange with the Legal Aid Clinic at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.* The exchange has been running since 2018 and sees two undergraduate students from the QMLAC spend a week in Trinidad emersed in the life of the Legal Aid Clinic. We then welcome two students from the Hugh Wooding Law School in alternative years. You can read more about these visits through our student blogs:

*Each exchange is run at the discretion of the Law School.

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