Bath-headquartered law firm Stone King has teamed up with Bath Spa University and Citizens Advice B&NES to launch a free legal clinic in the city as part of a new long-term strategic partnership.
The Bath Law Clinic will enable residents to access top-quality legal advice while at the same time developing work experience opportunities for the lawyers of the future.
Bath Spa University’s Bath Business School began offering an LLB law degree last year.
Lawyers from Stone King will support students on the course gain vital experience at the clinic while the firm will also help to fund a coordinator’s role at the advice centre.
The coordinator will ensure the smooth running of the innovative project and also develop further funding options.
The partnership is thought to be the UK’s first between a commercial law firm, a citizens’ advice bureau and a university.
Citizens Advice B&NES chief executive officer Les Redwood, pictured below left, said: “Citizens Advice B&NES has been delivering a long-term strategy of greater community engagement and increased partnerships across the region over the past two years and this will be another core partnership for the charity delivered over the course of this coming year.
“This new partnership will give our clients access to free legal advice in a number of specialisms – therefore giving more access to justice for those who need it most.”
He said Citizens Advice B&NES was also delighted to be working with Bath Business School, which is committed to giving its students practical legal experience and has a strong ethos of wider community engagement.
The new partnership will bring a rich source of students and highly qualified volunteers for the charity for many years to come, he said.
“Adding in the visionary support of Stone King managing partner Steven Greenwood and the Stone King team was the final piece in this unique partnership to make this a perfect offer for the benefit of our charity and clients, especially at this extremely difficult and challenging time,” Mr Redwood added.
“Working with a leading law firm which ranks in the top three for its work with charities and social enterprises and in the field of education will also help to secure our longer term sustainability and make us more resilient in the tough months to come.
“We are also investigating the possibility of an extended national arrangement such as this, as we are part of a national charity with over 272 offices.”
Steven Greenwood, pictured right, added: “We believe this is the first time there has been such an initiative with a commercial partner, Citizens Advice B&NES and a university.
“It really fits in well with our ethos of being a socially responsible business and helping the communities we are proud to serve.
“It is an innovative project and we hope it can be replicated nationally. We are proud to be part of a unique, long-term collaboration and to be able to give something so worthwhile back.”
Bath Spa University LLB Law course leader Steven Goulton, pictured left, described the move as a “fantastic step towards creating a mutually beneficial partnership between the university, Stone King and Citizens Advice B&NES”.
He added: “It will allow for our students to not only gain key skills and mentorship from solicitors in a leading law firm but also to enable them to understand the concept of social justice from the coal face.
“We are very excited to be working with an award-winning law firm in Stone King and with Les Redwood and the Citizens Advice B&NES. Our partnership will ensure all of our mutual aims of enhancing access to justice for the wider community in Bath & North East Somerset.”
Stone King, which specialises in charity and social enterprise, education, business and private client law, was established in Bath in 1785. It also has offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds and London.
For more information about Citizens Advice B&NES, visit: www.citizensadvicebanes.org.uk
