University of Plymouth Law Clinic

Connected, relevant and real – providing legal guidance and advice to the public, and valuable experiences to students

About us

The Law Clinic offers real advice and assistance to clients in the Plymouth community, across a range of legal areas. Coordinated by law students and supervised by staff - the clinic provides hands on experience for our students and provides a vital service to the local community.

Our story, your story: This short film by Florence Browne showcases the fantastic work our Law Clinic students undertake with our local community partners.

A student-led law clinic for the community

Contact the Law Clinic
Our location

You can call or email the Law Clinic to make an enquiry:

Telephone: +44 1752 585502

Email:

Family Law Clinic: familylawclinic@plymouth.ac.uk
Tenancy Advice Clinic: tenancyadviceclinic@plymouth.ac.uk
Immigration Law Clinic: immigrationlawclinic@plymouth.ac.uk
Employment Law Clinic: elc-enquiries@plymouth.ac.uk
All other enquiries: lawclinic@plymouth.ac.uk

The Law Clinic,
Endsleigh Place,
University of Plymouth,
Drake Circus,
PL4 6DN

There are several car parks within walking distance of the University and Clinic, namely Regent Street car park, Mayflower House Court, Mayflower Street East and Mayflower Street West. A full list of car parks and their locations can be found on the Plymouth City Council website.

The clinic is also accessible via numerous public transport routes, please refer to the Plymouth City Council website for details.

Our new site is located on Endsleigh Place, on the University of Plymouth campus where you will find:

A welcoming and professional space for students and staff to meet with clients
Sound-proof booths for clients to discuss their concerns in a confidential and safe environment
A large modern space for teaching, community events and workshops
Beautiful window designs created by artist Lembi Ilsjan, inspired by her time completing a BA in Illustration at the University of Plymouth

Take a look around inside with our virtual tour

Our Clinics

Our Projects and External Partner Projects

Community impact

Education and community engagement is at the very heart of what we do at the Law Clinic. Across our clinics and projects, practitioners and students provide legal support in a variety of ways. Three key elements of our work include:

Individual legal advice and information
Public legal education in partnership with the local community
Collaboration with community partners to build a strong local network of support and advice

We couldn’t do it alone. Our incredible community partners help make this work possible. Together, the impact of our work is able to reach far and wide within the multitude of communities in Plymouth.

Awards and nominations

The Law Clinic is extremely proud that the hard work of the students, staff and partners has been recognised for a number of prestigious awards. In the last three years alone, The Law Clinic has won multiple awards at the LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards:

Shortlisted for Best Contribution by a Law School 2021
Shortlisted for Access to Justice Foundation Award 2021
Shortlisted for Best Contribution by a team of students 2021
Best Contribution by a Team of Students (in partnership with the British Red Cross) in 2020
Access to Justice Foundation Award 2020
Access to Justice Foundation Award 2019
Best Contribution by a Law School 2018

Building the foundations for a career

Student experience

The Law Clinic offers a fantastic experiential dimension to the undergraduate Law degrees available at The University of Plymouth.

Students have the opportunity to:

gain a valuable insight into law in practice through first-hand experience of managing real cases and clients
undertake public legal education projects, research, interdisciplinary activities and work with community partner organisations
develop key transferable skills including teamwork, leadership and communication which will equip them for any career

Interdisciplinary Learning

The quality and reach of our work benefits from accessing a wide pool of skills and expertise. The local community contributes hugely to expanding that pool, but we also draw on the diversity of knowledge and perspectives across different departments within our university.

We are connected with:

"The Law Clinic enabled me to find a practice area I was truly passionate about. I have always been incredibly grateful for the transferable skills I gained. I cannot recommend volunteering at the clinic highly enough. Not only did it open doors into my career, I also made friends and contacts who still offer support and encouragement.”

Jasmine Galvin
Family Law Clinic student 2019

Research

The community-based work and projects carried out by the Law Clinic provide a range of opportunities to conduct valuable research and to contribute to policy making.

Impact research allows us to regularly assess the effectiveness of our work on both the community and students.

Pedagogic research enables us to look at how our innovative work-based learning modules sit within the greater framework of higher education and employability.