At this week’s Clinic meeting law students heard updates on current cases, discussed a new Family Law case and were encouraged to nominate themselves for the Clinic’s Student Committee:
- Over the course of the last week, there have been 75 telephone enquiries
- Clinic Solicitor Sheona York reported back on a case involving a client threatened with removal (deportation) from the UK. The client is the wife of an EU citizen working in the UK and has a right to reside in the UK under EU law. The client had applied to the Home office on the wrong form – the Home Office knew she was the wife of an EU national but, despite this, threatened removal without prior notice to her (meaning removal could happen at anytime). Sheona and Clinic student Charissa Wong had to act urgently – a full judicial review application had to be prepared and issued (because the Home Office failed to respond to the letter the Clinic had sent) and an emergency injunction was requested. The Judge granted the injunction and ordered any removal be stayed pending the hearing of the case. Sheona invited Charissa to make the call to the client to tell her the good news about winning the first part of her case
- Clinic Solicitor Philippa Bruce confirmed that she will be hosting an informal discussion (with biscuits) of the issues raised in the film The Children Act at 4pm in the Magna Carta Room (Wigoder Law Building) TODAY (Wednesday 10 October) – all interested students welcome
- Philippa engaged students with a new case she has taken on for a client experiencing a problem with arranging custody of their child. Her case highlights the problems experienced by people who have to represent themselves (‘litigants in person’) in the family courts without the benefit of any legal knowledge or experience
- Last week the Clinic as a whole, in a new experiment, took on a case – a wedding dispute over catering arrangements. Clinic Director Graham Tegg and a group of Clinic students met with the client (who provided the catering), to take her instructions (learn her side of the story). She is being sued in the Small Claims Court (county court) for damages supposedly caused by poor wedding service and because a member of her staff was supposedly seen dancing and drinking a glass of wine – a very unusual contractual dispute. Students will now work on drafting a defence and also a counterclaim. They will report back and more students will get involved with other aspects of the case. It’s a good way to observe contract law as it happens. Useful for anyone doing obligations!
- Finally, students were encouraged to think about nominating themselves for a position on the Clinic’s Student Committee. The Committee plays a key role in the life of the Law Clinic (particularly with regard to running the weekly meetings and additional events). Full details about how to apply will be sent out by email – interested students will be invited to share a prepared statement about why and how they’d like to contribute to Clinic life at next week’s meeting
Come along to next Tuesday’s weekly meeting in the Clinic at 2pm to hear more fascinating updates on Clinic cases and to find out about Karaoke Court…!