SOAS LLB/BA, LLM/MA Law Clinics and Placements

The SOAS College of Law offers placements for law students taking the modules Asylum and Immigration Law (UG), International Refugee law (PG) and International Migration (PG) to volunteer with BID. Students engage with people currently being held in immigration detention centres and prisons in the UK to provide support and facilitate migrants’ access to justice.  

“It is always a pleasure to work with students from SOAS University; their contribution to BID and our clients has been invaluable. SOAS students bring, without exception, a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experience to our organisation. 

Their dedication and commitment to justice and human rights are evident in everything they do, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside them."  

- BID Legal Manager

Each academic year, five students are placed under the supervision of a team of barristers and solicitors at the University of London Refugee Law Clinic to provide legal advice to failed asylum seekers to re-construct further submissions of their asylum claims. 

“I've loved my time working with the Refugee Law Clinic! I appreciated the hands-on training, especially the legal drafting workshop which gave us guidance on drafting witness statements, letters to experts and applications for leave to remain. 

"There are also plenty of possibilities to get involved: I became OISC L1 accredited, presented at the Refugee Law Initiative Annual Conference, and interned at the clinic over the summer. 

"Besides all the learning opportunities, what really animated my experience was being able to get to know and build relationships with other volunteers, the clinic manager and supervising lawyers and our clients.”  

- Student participant

The SOAS School of Law in partnership with the Pro Bono community creates opportunities for students to receive training and take up placements in legal advice centres – primarily Citizens Advice Bureaus dealing with housing and benefits law. 

“Volunteering with the Pro-Bono Community is something I am very proud to have done. I was placed within the information and advice team at Age UK Islington. I was able to assist clients in directing them towards grants and benefits that can help them with their current difficulties. 

"It gave me a great insight into the charity sector which I wish to further explore in my career."  

- Student participant

As as part of the ELF (Environmental Law Foundation) network of universities, SOAS runs a SOAS/ELF environmental policy clinic where students assist ELF in its policy campaign work. For instance, urging local authorities in the UK to act on their climate emergency declarations. The Clinic works with students on public interest cases and research projects which aim to protect the environment and promote human rights. 

This clinic provides students with the opportunity to build on their research, writing and policy advocacy skills. 

Read about how a group of law students from SOAS University of London has successfully completed a pro bono project mapping the presence of UK-protected species along the River Ouse in Sussex.

The Clinic's students also submitted a formal response to the Draft Policy on Environmental Crimes, urging the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to adopt a transformative approach to reparations by recognising the environment as a direct victim of international crimes. 

Read about it here.

As part of the Environmental Law Clinic, SOAS has developed a partnership with Lawyers for Nature to deliver joint projects. One of our projects is focused on providing insight into the various Representation Models for Nature that have been utilized in pursuit of recognizing the rights of Nature around the world. 

Often, these models of representation have presented themselves in the form of a Guardianship, such as in New Zealand or Spain. The current project stands as the second part of a three-part project at Lawyers for Nature. The first provided a comprehensive overview of the variety of legal instruments utilized for recognizing the rights of Nature. 

SOAS students from both postgraduate and graduate programmes can participate in the projects. These students will provide key insights into several different case studies, which will be useful for lawyers, academics, campaigners, and many others. 

In partnership with Wilsons Solicitors LLP, the SOAS College of Law runs the Detention Law Clinic, where students improve access to justice for people held under immigration powers.

Immigration detainees face major barriers to exercising their rights and accessing justice. The Clinic trains students to close the gap in legal advice with a view to enabling people held under immigration powers to exercise their rights effectively. 

Under the supervision of a solicitor, students engage with people held under immigration powers in prisons and immigration removal centres, providing much-needed legal advice on their right to liberty. By participating in the Clinic, students gain insight into the practical application of the law and can use their legal knowledge to respond to real-life issues. In doing so, students develop professionally relevant skills, whilst promoting social justice. 

The Clinic also runs projects where students harness their expertise to advance asylum and immigration law, policy, and advocacy.

The Clinic’s Coordinator is Dr Clara Della Croce.

Email: detentionlawclinic@soas.ac.uk

The SOAS College of Law, in association with referral organisations, runs the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) Clinic, where students seek to obtain funding for deportation cases that would otherwise be outside the scope of legal aid.

Exceptional Case Funding is only available in areas of law that are not eligible for legal aid. But without legal representation, people are left at risk of serious harm. Under the government’s ECF scheme, an applicant may be granted legal aid where they can demonstrate that without it, there would be a breach of their human rights.

The SOAS ECF Clinic trains students to petition the Legal Aid Agency for funding for immigration and deportation cases. Students participating in the Clinic improve access to justice by obtaining funding for cases that would otherwise be outside the scope of legal aid. Student volunteers assist clients in applying for ECF and, upon its grant, help them to identify a legal aid lawyer to take on their case.

The Clinic’s Coordinator is Dr Clara Della Croce. Email: ECFclinic@soas.ac.uk