King’s College London students launch pro bono clinic

updated on 29 October 2019

King’s College London (KCL) has launched a new student-run legal advice centre.

As the Law Gazette reports, the advice centre will be staffed by volunteer third-year law students, covering family issues under the supervision of solicitors at national firm Stowe Family Law.

Shaila Pal, director of clinical legal education at KCL and supervising solicitor at the law clinic, said: “The need for pro bono advice in family law is considerable, with disadvantaged groups and people with limited means desperately needing specialist assistance.

“It is also a great opportunity for King’s students to work with specialist lawyers providing high quality advice and increase access to justice.”

Universities’ law clinics and pro bono schemes have increasingly become the main source of legal advice for people unable to pay due to drastic cuts to legal aid funding by successive Conservative governments. However, it is well established that pro bono can never adequately replace a properly funded legal aid system.