LLB Law students and guests come together to celebrate 10 years of the GCU Law Clinic
The GCU Law Clinic has recently celebrated 10 years of the clinic’s first launch by inviting students, alumni and industry professionals to reflect on the successful initiative.
The GCU Law Clinic, which first launched in 2014, gives LLB Law students the opportunity to work on an outreach programme which provides free and confidential legal advice for people in the Greater Glasgow area. The service is offered to those who cannot afford legal aid or professional legal advice.
Guests were treated to a series of keynote speeches, including a panel event and a ‘speed dating’ style activity. Guests also had the opportunity to network, allowing current students to develop their professional connections.
Helping behind the scenes of the event was LLB Law student Kirsty Titshall, who has been involved in the GCU Law Clinic since her first year on the programme.
“We’ve had the chance to learn sign language, which was a real cool thing to do on the side of our work. I’ve also been involved in a lot of the street clinics that we host, while at the same time being involved in the GCU Law Society so it’s a good balance.” Kirsty explained.
Kirsty, who’s role during the event involved greeting and welcoming guests, felt that the event was a great opportunity for current students to build connections with both industry figures and students from various years of the LLB Law programme. She said: “The GCU Law Clinic 10th Anniversary event was a great opportunity to actually speak to other people within the law sector and hear from people that are in the same working area as you.
Our role during the event itself mainly involved greeting the guests which included both students, alumni and industry figures. It was especially nice because we got the chance to meet students from all years of the programme, when usually you tend to be more aware of those from your year.”
Kirsty is a proud member of the GCU Law Clinic and believes that being involved has made a positive impact on her university experience.
“It makes you feel quite proud to be a part of it! At the event, you had the chance to actually speak with people that were a part of the very first GCU Law Clinic when it launched in 2014. For them, it was really good for them to see that the Law Clinic is still in place and to see how much it’s developed. You could really tell that they were proud of it as well.” She explained.
She added: “It’s really nice to be part of a community of people that all share a similar goal. It not only provides support within the Law Clinic, but outside of that as well. I remember when I first started my course that I felt so unsure and didn’t really know what was going on, but at the time there was a student manager called Emma who took the time to reassure us that we were all there to support each other.
At the start of the course, you get a lot of information about the importance of traineeships and it can be a bit daunting. I remember attending a session hosted by Emma where she explained to us that we don’t need to worry. Now she’s a student teacher and to see where she is now is amazing to witness.
A lot of universities don’t offer initiatives like law clinics, so if you have the chance to do it then you definitely should. It’s also a really good thing to speak about in a job interview for example, and it really sets you apart from other candidates.”
Find out more about the GCU Law Clinic on their webpage
By Rachael McAlonan
Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media