New centre offers free legal help

A free legal clinic is to be launched in Bath.

The Bath Law Clinic will offer top-quality legal advice while giving work experience opportunities to lawyers of the future.

The clinic sees an innovative partnership between law firm Stone King, Bath Spa University and Citizens Advice B&NES.

Students on the university’s law course will gain key experience at the clinic and be supported by lawyers from Stone King, which will also help fund a coordinator’s role.

Sessions will be online but will eventually move to the Citizens Advice centre in George Street.

Les Redwood, chief executive officer at Citizens Advice B&NES, said: “We are proud and excited to announce the first steps in this long-term strategic partnership with Bath Spa University and Stone King solicitors to provide a law clinic within Bath.”

He added: “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.”

Steven Greenwood, managing partner at Stone King, said: “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.”

Steven Goulton, Bath Spa University LLB law course leader said: “This is a fantastic step towards creating a mutually beneficial partnership between BSU, Stone King LLP and Citizens Advice B&NES which 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.”

For more information on the Bath Law Clinic, call Citizens Advice B&NES on 08082787897 between 9.30am and 2.30pm.