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The Open University (OU) Law School's Open Justice Centre’s Law Clinic is toasting its success at the LawWorks Annual Pro Bono Awards on Monday night (3 December 2018).

The Law Clinic, which offers free online legal advice led by OU students working collaboratively under the supervision of qualified solicitors, was highly commended in the ‘Best new pro bono activity’ category.

The OU Law School’s Open Justice Centre has developed a prototype online learning module in discrimination and human rights law training for charities.

This follows a five-month collaborative project earlier this year with AdviceUK, the UK’s largest network of independent social welfare advice organisations, which was funded by a £67,000 grant from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

OU Law School students came from far and wide to benefit from an intensive weekend residential masterclass in street law from one of its gurus.

Street law, established in the 1970s, is where the law is made more accessible to secondary school pupils by students delivering sessions on topics such as human rights, social media law, and legal careers.

The most rewarding experience of my LLB has been my involvement with the pro-bono activities. I have always been passionate about access to justice, but being able to be involve myself and to contribute gave me the first hand experience needed to complete my understanding of its complexity and how pro bono work fits into that.

The Open Justice Centre and St Giles Trust attended an evening event at the Open University in October 2018 that brought together leading academics, practitioners and students from the Open University, St Giles Trust and Cambridge University;- all keen to share their research and experiences with a wider audience. It was followed by a question panel chaired by former Justice Minister (England), Sir Simon Hughes, to discuss this crucially important topic in the 21^st century.

Six Law students have received an Open Justice Award for their contribution to pro bono. Lidia Dancu and Lucy Nguyen shared the Open Justice Centre’s best individual contribution award, with Sharon O’Donnell, Lavinia Soobrayen, Christopher Stevens and Lindsey Porter winning the best group contribution award. The winners had taken part in Open Justice activities during the 2017J presentation of ‘W360: Justice in Action’, making outstanding contributions to school-based legal education workshops and providing legal advice to the public in the Open Justice Clinic.

In 1983, as a spotty faced 15-year-old I wrote in the programme for the school play, that I was going work in law. Fast forward 35 years and I finally fulfilled that prophecy thanks to the Open University and Open Justice activities!

Legal Eagles in HMP Altcourse prison by Sharon Taylor

Legal Eagle Radio Show Blog – By Kelly Thomas

In this series of reflections, a number of Open University law students discuss their experiences delivering a legally focused radio programme which will be broadcast at HMP Altcourse. Five students visited the prison in June 2018 along with law lecturer Tamsin Morris.

Joseph Beet