University legal services initiative celebrates anniversary

A legal services initiative set up by the University of Leeds is celebrating its one-year anniversary today (September 17th), offering free written legal advice to people in need of help.

Employment law is one of the areas tackled by the trainee legal professionals, who are supervised in their work by two local firms, the BBC reports.

Access to free legal services is currently a contentious issue, with many practitioners and members of the public angry at the apparent reduction in services heralded by the new Ministry of Justice legal aid funding system.

The clinic has won a Higher Education Student Volunteering award since it opened in 2009, with almost 100 queries undertaken by the lawyers in training.

Issues relating to criminal and immigration law are referred on to specialists, with links to other legal clinics and advice agencies passed on to ensure individuals should be able to find appropriate assistance.