This module examines the fundamentals of access to justice from both a theoretical and practical perspective and will appeal to students with an interest in social justice issues. It will provide you with a valuable opportunity to see first-hand the provision of vital support to clients in need of legal advice and representation in the UCL advice clinic in East London.

During seminars you will confront a body of research on the difficulties of using legal services, be it due to exclusion from the legal process, lack of funds, lack of awareness of rights or lack of faith in the justice system.

You will conduct supervised casework at the UCL Integrated Legal Advice Clinic (iLAC), based in Stratford, East London. You will be working under the close supervision of expert qualified lawyers and social welfare advisers. The key objective of the module is to afford you the opportunity to place substantive law within a relevant social and economic context in light of your experience.

Method of Teaching

The module will be taught by seminar discussion in both the UCL Bloomsbury campus and Stratford, complemented by in depth training provided by the UCL Centre for Access to Justice (CAJ). You will undertake 45 hours of supervised casework during the academic year. CAJ staff will be on hand throughout the course to ensure your casework is not onerous in the context of the rest of your studies and will closely monitor your progression. Casework will be supported by seminars and reflective tutorials.

Indicative Seminar Topics

Students will attend and participate in taught seminars covering access to justice issues, including for example: Fundamentals of Access to Justice, the Impact of Covid-19, Legal Aid and Social Welfare, Litigants in Person, Pro Bono, Professional Responsibility and Cause Lawyering. A key focus of the course will be examining the extent to which the law is able to facilitate access to justice and achieve social change.

Members of the CAJ team will conduct student training and supervision. While casework is always subject to change in light of fluctuating client needs, it might include:

General legal advice casework in housing and social welfare law including taking new enquiries, attending client interviews, legal research, drafting legal advice, managing case files and other client communications;
	Assisting with specialist casework on housing, community care law and education law matters – this might include drafting complaints, attending meetings with clients at a local authority office/school or otherwise assisting with putting forward a client’s case;
	Appellate social security casework for clients who have been denied benefits. Casework tasks include interviewing clients, researching and preparing written submissions and advocacy at Tribunal.
On completion of the module you will be able to understand the inter-relationship between law and social justice issues, reflect on the contribution and limitations of law in addressing client needs and develop legal skills in order to resolve legal issues on behalf of clients.

Reading lists and other materials will be provided for students registered on the module via online Moodle information pages.

Methods of assessment include:

Learning Journal & Portfolio: here students reflect on their skills development at UCL iLAC by creating a Learning Journal and evidence what they have learnt by reference to a Portfolio of written work from their casework placement (maximum of 20 pages).
	Critical Reflections: students draw connections between theory and practice on access to justice issues by reflecting on the seminar reading and their placement activity in the light of topic themes.