Setting up a social justice community legal outreach project

This presentation will cover a number of issues for consideration when thinking about setting up a social justice outreach project. These include justification for establishing such a project (in this case an access to justice CLOCK project) including the social justice (altruism) rationale, assisting the growing numbers of Litigants in Person, a need to relieve HMCTS/judiciary of an ever increasing work burden and the benefits that students can derive from such a project, such as the engagement with clinical legal education, and employability benefits, as well as the obvious marketing advantages which such a project can provide for the university.
Background will be provided to CLOCK; there are now 11 Law Schools in England and Wales, which operate similar projects and which are part of the CLOCK National group. The importance of getting 'buy in' from your your institution (and possibly collaboration), as well as court, partner providers, students, crucial to which is extensive networking engagement, will be emphasised. Importantly, the likely costs of setting up and those ongoing will be outlined.
The presentation will share the requirements of project set up, including the importance of coordinating a steering group, the need for good quality training and the establishment of a student committee and a reminder that best practice (borrowing from others) is to be recommended.
The research undertaken by both CCCU and the University of Brighton will be shared and the pedagogical relevance through theory meeting practice will be emphasised.