International visit for Student Law Office

A Government-led committee from Singapore looking into the establishment of a new applied law school in the country has visited Northumbria University’s award-winning Student Law Office as part of a fact-finding mission.

The delegation was led by Ms Indranee Rajah, Senior Minister of State, for Law and for Education, and comprised senior officials from the Singapore State Courts, SIM University, the Singapore Institute of Legal Education and both law and education ministries.

As Singapore continues to develop rapidly, the delegation is looking at various models and best practices for the country’s new law school to train prospective lawyers with a key focus on practicing community law.

Part of this process has involved visiting Northumbria University, which has just been awarded the internationally-recognised Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the outstanding work of its Student Law Office. The achievement is the highest form of national recognition open to a UK academic or vocational institution.

The delegation was able to meet with students and tutors at Northumbria. They were also shown how the Law School enhances the student experience with pioneering e-learning options.

Kevin Kerrigan, Executive Dean at Northumbria Law School, said: “We were delighted and honoured to welcome our guests from Singapore and to show them around the Law School and showcase how we are using technology to enhance the learning experience. The provision of community legal representation they are looking to develop in Singapore matches closely with the values and services provided by our Student Law Office. Indeed, undertaking supervised casework, our students have represented more than 1,000 clients and secured over £1million in compensation for them since 2008.
"Clinic-based legal services like this are a growing phenomenon globally, which can transform the lives of those it helps and offers students a deep understanding of law, justice and professionalism.”

Date posted: May 7, 2014