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The Immigration Family Reunion Clinic will assist refugees in Derby, who may not have the funds for legal advice and whose cases are not covered by legal aid, in making applications to bring their families to the UK. Set up in 2019, the student advice centre originally focused on providing family law advice, offering a pro bono service whereby law students advised the community on a range of issues under the supervision of qualified legal professionals. The new clinic has been established in partnership with the British Red Cross and Paragon Law, with students taking instructions from clients prior to Paragon Law assessing whether they would benefit from specialist legal advice.
Kaye Howells, senior lecturer in law and centre lead at the University of Derby, said: ‘The University’s Law School is proud to be partnering with the British Red Cross and Paragon Law to enable the provision of this much-needed service. The launch of the Immigration Family Reunion Clinic would not be possible without such collaboration. I know I speak on behalf of our student volunteers when I say how proud we are to be delivering this service to the public.’
Sophie Spencer, a third-year law student, added: ‘I have loved working in the Student Legal Advice Centre. Not only has it helped me to develop practical legal skills, but it has also helped to improve my emotional intelligence due to dealing with sensitive issues. It is wonderful to know that we can help real clients and provide assistance that they would otherwise not have access to.’
The clinic runs virtually every two weeks on a Wednesday between 1pm and 5pm. An appointment can be booked by emailing the Student Legal Advice Centre or via the British Red Cross in Derby.
