Lecturer wins prestigious national award for Law Clinic

The accolade came in recognition of his work with students through the South West Employment Rights Centre (SWERC), part of the Plymouth Law School’s Law Clinic, which offers free advice to people who cannot afford to pay for legal action against their employers.

Alex, who was a student at Plymouth University from 2002-05 and returned to the city to run his own practice after completing his legal qualifications, said: “This award is great reward for the University, not just myself, and brings the work we are doing into the national spotlight. The work of SWERC has so many benefits, for the students involved and the clients we help, and we are looking to expand its offering in the future.”

The SWERC, based in the University’s Cookworthy Building, was established in 2001 and works with third-year law students to give free advice to people wanting to make a claim against their employers.

They work in association with Citizens Advice Bureaux across the region and while some cases are dealt with quickly, others can see the students and centre tutors having to formulate complex arguments for the courts.

Alex said: “A couple of years ago, one of our students took on a case and ended up winning the client around £22,000 in compensation. Another student was personally commended by the case judge for the arguments they had put forward, and the way they had done so. This kind of experience is invaluable for students as when they go on to complete their qualification, they can say they have already represented clients and come up against barristers in a courtroom situation.”

The awards were judged by a panel including former attorney general Baroness Scotland, Law Society president John Wotton and legal journalist Joshua Rozenberg. For the JLD award, the judging panel also included the JLD chair Hekim Hannan. The ceremony was hosted by the Law Society in London last week.

Professor Simon Payne, Head of the Plymouth Law School and one of the founders of SWERC, said: “Studying law at Plymouth is not only about understanding the intricacies of the law and legal system, but also gaining experience of advising and representing real clients with real legal problems. The Law Clinic provides this opportunity for students and, while SWERC is the longest established part, it now includes representation for victims of domestic violence, support for elderly clients and investigation of miscarriages of justice. Alex has done a great job leading SWERC and deserves congratulations for this national recognition of his work.”

ENDS