Community law clinic launches at Solent transcript

00:00 - 0:25:02

Solent law clinic is a free-to-use service for members of the Hampshire Community to get advice on family law matters or landlord and tenant matters. The clinic advisors themselves are our amazing Solent law school students who are supervised by the regionally award-winning law firm Dutton Gregory or lawyers from that firm. Members of the Hampshire Community will be able to get advice every Tuesday and every Thursday on family law and land law and tenant matters.

Law and Business Course Leader Brad Kershaw is talking to camera.

0:25:02 - 0:43:00

The Solent law clinic is going to be an opportunity for people in the Southampton community to come in, get some legal advice from law students supervised by me, as a qualified solicitor and we're going to be covering areas of family law, landlord, tenant property disputes and effectively a chance of people who might not have access to legal advice to to gain some.

Jonathan Whettingsteel, Partner and Family Solictor from Dutton Gregory is talking to camera.

0:43:00 - 1:12:06

To me, supporting the local community should be accessible to everyone. Obviously, we've got a lot of issues at the moment going on, especially with housing, so I know a lot of people are struggling at the moment and do not have the means to go and get the help they deserve. So, I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity for them to sort of put their mind at ease and get the right answers they've been looking for, regardless of the struggles they're going through.

LLB (Hons) Law student, Renata Rusu is talking to camera.

1:12:06 - 1:53:17

I wanted to be involved in the Solent law clinic because I've always felt like I wanted to give back to a community, so when the opportunity arose I couldn't say no. I remember on my response paper for the University, I said the reason I wanted to be a lawyer was because I wanted to give back. So a pro bono Clinic is where the voiceless basically are because they can't receive that type of advice in any other way because maybe they don't have the funds or they don't have the means. So being a part of something like that, feels like it's giving back to the community and it's just something that I knew I wanted to do.

LLB (Hons) Law student, Erica Ramos is talking to camera.

1:53:17 - 2:34:01

Well, we started Solent law clinic because we have an institutional objective, a promise, that we make our students when they start here that they will receive authentic learning. We're not just teaching them the law, we're teaching them to be lawyers and to make sure it's always industry-led and industry incorporated and nothing really is a better simulation of that, than a law clinic where the students are doing 7/10 of the job of a lawyer. It's also our promise to our community - we have a very strong ethos that the university should be an anchor for the community, particularly those who are less well off or in a vulnerable position and of course it shows our industry integration, our amazingly generous partner Dutton Gregory and what the Law School is all about, which is bringing together industry, community and students.

Law and Business Course Leader Brad Kershaw is talking to camera.

2:34:01 - 3:00:20

So Dutton Gregory are always really good at supporting things that are important to staff. So, I'm an alumni from the University, I graduated in 2008, before this lovely building was here and for me, I got such a fantastic foundation and I am where I am in my career, my life because of the time I got here. And I think Dutton Gregory are really keen to say, if it's important to you, it's important to us, as they give me a lot of autonomy and have supported me to effectively run with this and actually they're really keen to be able to give back the community.

Jonathan Whettingsteel, Partner and Family Solictor from Dutton Gregory is talking to camera.

3:00:20 - 3:22:20

Being involved in the law clinic will benefit my studies because you get introduced to so many broad ranges of situations and scenarios, things that maybe isn't in our module list. So, I will still get to apply whatever I've learned into the lessons but also, get to research things that aren't there.

LLB (Hons) Law student, Erica Ramos is talking to camera.

3:22:20 - 3:50:09

Students will gain insight into what it means to actually be a lawyer - they're doing all the work I can't stand and take any credit - they're doing the interviewing, they're doing the research, they're doing the advice, they're booking the students in, all overseen in a supervisory capacity by lawyers. But they're going to gain experience on the job of being a solicitor, but also building those soft professional skills, even for those who don't necessarily want to go on to be solicitors. Crucial professional skills - client handling, dispute resolution, research, drafting and so on.

Law and Business Course Leader Brad Kershaw is talking to camera.

3:50:09 - 4:02:23

I want to talk to those people who actually struggle and who need help the most. So, I feel it will also provide me that sense of joy that I'm doing this for the right reasons.

LLB (Hons) Law student, Renata Rusu is talking to camera.

4:02:23 - 4:08:02

Fades to a white screen, a red, stripy wave appears animated, followed by the Southampton Solent University logo.