Pro Bono Introductory Talk

CULS has put together a wide range of projects this year for both law and non-law students, including:

1. World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP)

WCADP is an alliance of 158 NGO’s and bar associations (including Amnesty & Human Rights Watch) and the research you’ll be doing will help to advocate against the use of the death penalty. There’ll be a range of titles available, from living conditions on death row to research on international human rights law. You can also choose to do the research in groups (max. 3/4 people); you can also do the research alone. If you’re an international student, this project also provides the chance to do research in your first language.

2. Justice Centre Hong Kong

Justice Centre HK is a non-profit human rights organisation based in Hong Kong that protect the rights of forced migrants, refugees, and other people seeking protection, including survivors of torture, human trafficking and forced labour. Launched in 2014, it has helped more than 2,000 refugee men, women and children. They have offered CULS a 12-week placement and training programme for up to 15 students on refugees’ and migrants’ rights—using a model that also sees leading international law firms providing assistance and hours to these students. It has worked annually with Ivy League schools like Harvard so the standard of the programme is relatively high.

3. Centre for Criminal Appeals

The Centre for Criminal Appeals identifies and litigates criminal appeal cases that demonstrate the justice system’s failings and provide the hard evidence needed to achieve vital systemic reforms. It is registered with the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority as a not-for-profit law firm, and operates under the auspices of the Scot Moncrieff and Associates’ criminal appeals legal aid contract. Lawyers at the Centre represent people in prison with serious convictions, and also provide a criminal appeal clinics programme that will be available to up to 15 law students.

4. LawWorks

CULS is facilitating a LawWorks network clinic that will devise a triage project allowing law students to work alongside local solicitors in Cambridge to provide law clinics to clients in the areas of Family Law, Employment/Labour Law, and Contract and Tort Law. The project will allow students to engage with clients in a non-legal capacity following the 30-min sessions at the law clinics by signposting. There is also the possibility next term of working with Citizens Advice Bureau in Cambridge to provide support at family court, which is a rare opportunity. As we are a LawWorks network clinic, students will be able to access free legal advice training session in London and also via webinar/Skype.

5. Celebrating the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality Campaign

CULS Pro Bono will be working in conjunction with the CUSU LGBT+ Campaign to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which decriminalised homosexuality in England and Wales. This will be primarily through a publication which will highlight the key cases, legal issues and wider historical context that concern the Act. The release of the publication will coincide with campaign week raising awareness of LGBT+ issues within Cambridge.

Do come along to the talk if you wish to hear from and speak with the representatives of each of these projects. Sign-ups for the projects will also happen after the talk.

If anyone has any questions regarding the projects or events, they should be directed at Pro Bono Coordinators Rebecca Tan (rhmt2@cam.ac.uk) and Nikhil Dwivedi (nd395@cam.ac.uk).