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LSBU takes part in the 2014 London Legal Walk

Staff and students in the Law Department at London South Bank University, together with local lawyers, are taking part in the London Legal Walk on the evening of Monday 19 May. 

Team LSBU at the 2013 London Legal Walk
 

It's a 10km walk starting at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand and finishing at the Law Society in Chancery Lane. Funds are raised to support free legal advice charities in London and the South East by walkers gaining sponsors and then many wonderful law firms, chambers and companies add to that with matched funding or donations.

The London Legal Walk has been taking place since 2005 and has grown in support each year. The very first walk attracted 330 walkers and raised £35,000. Just last year, in 2013’s walk, over 7,500 people took part and raised a staggering £530,000. 

The LSBU Law Department will be one of over 450 teams made up of up to 10,000 walkers. They are raising money for the LSBU Legal Advice Clinic, a free community based face to face advice service in Southwark and would really welcome your support. The LSBU Legal Advice Clinic provides both incredibly valuable public services as well as fantastic work experience opportunities for LSBU Law students, helping them to gain practical skills and boost their CVs.

The Clinic has gained widespread national and international recognition for its innovative face-to-face advice model, including being highly commended in the LawWorks and Attorney General’s Pro Bono Awards 2014 in the ‘Best Contribution by a Law School’ category. The Clinic is based at Caxton House on Borough Road at the Southwark Campus where trained student volunteers (assisted by experienced solicitors) interview, assess and advise clients at drop in day-time sessions. Members of the public can access the following:

  • Basic information on any topic.
  • Generalist advice in any social welfare law matters (except immigration).
  • Appropriate local advice and legal services.
  • Specialist legal advice in family, housing and employment matters.

Alan Russell, Director of the LSBU Legal Advice Clinic said; “The Walk is a fantastic event – the atmosphere is always terrific. More importantly, the cause is an absolutely vital one. Savage cuts to legal aid have made it increasingly hard for poor and vulnerable people to get good quality legal advice about housing employment, family, benefits and debt. Advice agencies like our own Legal Advice Clinic are providing a vital service and the money raised by the walk really helps to keep us all doing that work.”

Last year’s London Legal Walk saw the Law Department raise £2000, you can help them to beat that target this year. Since April 2013 there's been no legal aid at all for debt, employment, benefits, education and most housing & family advice, which is exactly what the Clinic works hard to provide for its clients. As a result, the Clinic will be even busier next year than this.  

If you would like to join LSBU and walk with them on the 19 May, please contact Alan Russell on alan.russell@lsbu.ac.uk or you can sponsor them via their fundraising page.