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Applications for this opportunity will open in September 2024.
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About the project:听
The 香港六合彩中特网 Centre for Access to Justice is partnering with the world-leading 香港六合彩中特网 Dementia Research Centre to offer one-off advice sessions to patients with rare forms of dementia and their carers.
Staffed by 香港六合彩中特网听students working under the close supervision of qualified lawyers, the RDS Advice Service offers students first-hand experience of advising on a wide range of legal issues, while also providing a valuable and much needed service.听The RDS Advice Service is now in its fifth year and works in conjunction with Rare Dementia Support, the support service run by the 香港六合彩中特网 Dementia Research Centre.
Whilst volunteering at the RDS听Advice Service, students will gain valuable hands-on experience of casework research and advising clients, while providing a much-needed service to a unique client group. Applicants with an interest in or experience of community care, employment, mental health or private client law will find the placement particularly rewarding.
We are looking for volunteers who can demonstrate:
friendliness and approachability;
a commitment to or an awareness of social justice issues;
willingness and ability to be flexible, open minded, and non-judgemental regarding clients and their problems;
awareness of the potential needs of, and demands placed on, vulnerable clients;听
reliability and commitment, good interpersonal and communication skills, including written and oral;听
strong research and letter writing skills;
ability and willingness to work as part of a team;
commitment to meeting deadlines and good time management skills;
good administrative and file management skills
The Role: RDS Advice Project Assistant听
When working at the RDS Advice Project, assistants will be allocated enquiries and will prepare notes of advice in response to each enquiry. Assistants will be responsible for conducting any research required to complete the note of advice, which will then be checked by a supervising solicitor or adviser.
Assistants will attend a Teams appointment with the supervising solicitor to deliver the advice to the client. Client appointments are normally booked on Mondays (although there is some flexibility). Appointments start from the end of听November in term 1 until mid-March in term 2, with a break for the Christmas holiday and reading week.
Following the Teams appointment, assistants will draft a letter of advice summarising what was discussed in the appointment and suggested next steps for the client. This will be reviewed by a supervising lawyer or adviser before being sent to the client.
Assistants may also be asked to respond to ad hoc requests for information and advice from our colleagues in Rare Dementia Support, under the supervision of lawyers working on the project.
Assistants will complete training on working with vulnerable clients, the types of dementia the clients may have been diagnosed with, confidentiality, data protection and client management as well as our case management system, letter writing and case file management.
Pro Bono Skills Development Framework 听听
The Centre for Access to Justice now offers all students engaged in听extra-curricular听pro bono听the opportunity to participate in the听Pro听Bono听Skills听Development Framework. This framework allows you to reflect on the听skills听gained during your placement, aligned with the听听Completing it earns you a Certificate of Commitment to听Pro听Bono, acknowledging your dedication and skill development. Your participation will help you document and showcase the valuable competencies you've developed, however, please note that participation in the PBSDF scheme is entirely voluntary and will not affect your placement in any way.听
Time commitment and schedule:
We anticipate that the time commitment required from assistants will vary from week to week as you will need to devote more time to the project in periods when you have been allocated an advice session to prepare for. Allocations will be made on a rota basis. However, averaged out across the year, we would anticipate that assistants will need to commit between a half and one full day per fortnight to the Advice Project, which will cover time spent:
- Researching and drafting advice notes;
- Attending Teams advice sessions, which will normally be on Mondays;
- Drafting advice letters;
- Maintaining case files.
- Assistants may also be asked to attend support group meetings to triage new clients.
When applying, please let us know any restrictions on your availability, particularly on Mondays.
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Eligibility and How to Apply:听
Eligibility: LLM Students
How to Apply:听Applications will open on 23 September 2024. The deadline for applications is 28 October 11:59PM.听
Please apply via the online application form linked . When applying, please make sure you have completed the听.听You only need to complete this once per academic year.听
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Michael Marshall (michael.marshall@ucl.ac.uk).听
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