Queen Mary’s School of Law has won an award in the category of Best Contribution by a Law School at the annual LawWorks and Attorney General Student Awards.
Queen Mary’s School of Law was presented with the award for the activities and contributions of the Legal Advice Centre, qLegal and student Pro Bono Society at the ceremony which was held in the House of Commons.
The awards celebrate the best pro bono activities undertaken by law students and law schools across the UK. The award was presented by Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP.
Queen Mary’s Legal Advice Centre is a student law clinic that offers free legal advice to the public on general and specialist areas including pink law, revenge rorn and immigration law, and runs street law clinics engaging and educating learners in schools on the illegality of sharing private sexual images and the Equality Act.
Frances Ridout, Director of the Legal Advice Centre commended colleagues and students for making the centre’s pro bono work possible: “It is fantastic for the school to be recognised for its long-term dedication to pro bono work in our local community, and all the hard work that goes into it from our colleagues across the School. All this is made possible by our hardworking students and volunteer lawyers.”
In addition to the Legal Advice Centre the School of Law also offers another pro bono service, qLegal, which provides legal advice to social enterprises, charities and entrepreneurs. The team at qLegal work on a range of complex issues including intellectual property matters relating to patents, copyright and trademarks as well as non-disclosure agreements and employment contracts.
qLegal also undertakes outreach work where postgraduate law students visit local schools to teach the legal elements of developing a business idea. In addition to this, the School also has a thriving student pro bono society and a deep-rooted culture of pro bono and public engagement.
Congratulating the winners at the ceremony in the House of Commons, Geoffrey Cox, QC, the attorney-general, said: "Pro bono is part of being a lawyer, it not only has a practical and beneficial impact on people's lives and access to justice, but also supports the rule of law."
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