Criminal Law Clinic
The Criminal Law Clinic, delivered in collaboration with the Freedom Law Clinic, is a pro bono initiative dedicated to offering high-quality, innovative legal criminal law education that is affordable, accessible, and flexible. As part of this initiative, we offer a distinctive three-in-one SQE programme, while our clinic work focuses on complex criminal cases, providing free legal advice to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
We are committed to the principle that legal education should be accessible to all. To support this, we adopt a hybrid learning model that combines live online seminars, recorded lectures, digital learning materials, and interactive skills workshops. Further information about the work is available at the Freedom Law Clinic
We offer students the opportunity to engage in real casework and develop essential legal skills. This programme provides both an introduction to the criminal appeals process and a platform for students to build the practical competencies required in the legal profession. Participants will gain valuable insights into the criminal justice system, enhance their analytical abilities, and deepen their understanding of case law and judicial decision-making.
Students selected for the programme will undertake six weeks of intensive training. This includes weekly seminars led by a qualified solicitor, alongside detailed, structured feedback on their casework. Each week will focus on a different core legal skill, including:
- Reviewing case papers
- Evidential analysis
- Oral advocacy
- Conference skills
- Written advocacy – including drafting letters to clients and skeleton arguments
The clinic engages with real criminal appeal cases (drawn from previous years and used with the consent of the original clients). Past cases have included appeals against convictions for serious offences such as murder and grievous bodily harm (Section 18 with intent). These cases involve extensive documentation and present students with the opportunity to undertake in-depth evidential analysis, while also developing the ability to manage complex information within tight timeframes.
The Criminal Law Clinic is delivered in partnership with the Freedom Law Clinic as part of our Criminal Appeals Programme for the current academic year.
If you are interested in applying to join the programme, please contact the Law Department for further information on the application process.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Criminal Law Clinic.