PBC has worked with a range of universities including City Law School, LSE, Oxford University, University of Law, SOAS, King’s College London, University College London, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Brookes, University of West England, University of Hertfordshire, Greenwich University, BPP, Royal Holloway University, University of Westminster and London South Bank University.
PBC’s training and volunteer placements programmes can be integrated into the curriculum as credit-bearing modules or delivered as extra-curricular schemes. In 2017-18, City University commissioned PBC to draft and deliver a Pro Bono Training module to 30 year three LLB students with integrated volunteering placements. This module has continued to run every year since then along with a separate module for postgraduate students.
PBC is able to tailor its training to the needs and and budgets of individual universities with flexibility around venue, format, schedule, duration and content. Typically, the academic/training element of the programme is delivered to students before they begin volunteering placements on one day a week for six months. It is important that the students understand they need to be as flexible as possible when scheduling their placements and that they are making a commitment to attend regularly and complete the placement. PBC can provide examination and formative assessment as well as monitoring attendance and performance through the charity’s online volunteer management portal.
Benefits
Students benefit from training in a range of skills necessary for practice as well as structured training in areas of social welfare law that will equip them to work as volunteers, develop their practical knowledge of legal processes and broaden their understanding of the law.
PBC’s training provides universities with a cost-effective way of offering their students high-quality, clinical legal education which will enhance their employability.
PBC can work with universities to offer students clinical legal education combining academic rigour with practical experience either as credit-bearing modules or extra-curricular programmes.
Universities derive a reputational benefit from their involvement in pro bono work, enriching the offering they can make to current and future students.
Universities can work with Pro Bono Community to make a positive impact on local communities by assisting advice agencies to provide increased access to free legal advice from well-trained volunteers.
