Streetlaw

Streetlaw is an innovative way of bringing law students under supervision into the community. Students provide interactive presentations and events to educate an identified group about their legal rights and responsibilities. Groups vary immensely and can include primary and secondary school pupils, prison inmates, senior citizens and homeless people.

Streetlaw in practice

Law students deliver Streetlaw sessions with the support of academic tutors and/or qualified lawyers to ensure that the sessions are both accurate in content and delivered in innovative and engaging ways.

A law school may contact a local advice agency to help identify a target group and to get an understanding of which particular issues are relevant to the local community. The group is consulted on the issues they face and the Streetlaw session is tailored to meet their particular need.

Students research the agreed topic and the surrounding law and prepare an interactive presentation. The presentation is designed to encourage the audience to engage and think about the concepts and, as a consequence develop a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities under the law. The sessions often include practical exercises, role play and quizzes.

Subjects vary enormously. They range from general sessions about the legal system to very specific topics. For example, in Manchester, Streetlaw students utilised their contacts with the Chinese community to help increase their knowledge of the legal system. Specific sessions have included asylum and immigration, bullying, consumer rights, discrimination, education law, happy slapping, housing law, human rights, police powers, residential care, and welfare benefits. Sessions for community groups have also included charity and company law, fundraising and social enterprises.

A very popular form of Streetlaw which follows a slightly different model is a mock trial which uses a script to recreate an authentic glimpse of courtroom exchanges in tribunals or in criminal cases in the crown or magistrates courts. People take on the roles of judge, advocates, witnesses and the accused. A jury is appointed to decide the fate of the defendant.

Streetlaw forges valuable links between the law school and the wider community and is a valuable tool for improving legal literacy - the community's understanding of their rights and responsibilities. This timely and targeted type of legal education means that people are less likely to develop legal problems and more likely to seek help where needed.

Example of Streetlaw in action - Homeless Programme

This is an example of a Streetlaw project where law students work with clients around London providing practical, relevant presentations focusing on aspects of the law that affect homeless people in their daily lives.

The project is led by three student directors who are responsible for recruiting and training new volunteers, researching and revising presentation materials and personally supervising each session. They also take on a broader strategic role, building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, enabling a deeper understanding of client needs and a consistent dialogue, which encourages honest feedback and discussion on both sides.

In 2011, law students from BPP Law School won the LawWorks & Attorney General student award for best team of students in respect of their Streetlaw Homeless programme.

Background

Street Law^TM, Inc originated in the USA in 1972 at Georgetown University in Washington DC when law students developed an experimental curriculum designed to teach high school students about practical aspects of the law and the legal system. Street Law^TM remains dedicated to their founding principles of providing practical, participatory education about law, democracy, and human rights to citizens who would not otherwise have access to legal knowledge or education

The concept of Street Law grew in popularity and in 1986, the Street Law model started to be adopted internationally in many democratising nations across the world. There are now Street Law projects in over 35 countries.

Read more about Street Law Maryland and 'Teaching law as a life skill: How Street Law helps young vulnerable parents make the transition to successful adulthood' here.

The College of Law established its pro bono programme in 1998 and by 2004 it had extended its activities, including Streetlaw to colleges in Birmingham, Chester, Guildford, London and York. At least 16 law schools now offer Streetlaw as part of their pro bono initiatives - a 150% increase over last five years.

Streetlaw also offers students the opportunity to engage with the local community, perfect their legal research and presentation skills, and gain valuable experience in preparation for work in the legal profession.

Updated April 2011

Notes

1. In 2011, LawWorks published the results of its latest survey into law school pro bono activites. The report was sponsored by the Law Society of England & Wales and was written by Richard Grimes, with the assistance of Martin Curtis.

2. The name Street Law^TM has been registered in the USA by Street Law Inc of Washington DC, USA. The term Streetlaw has been adapted for use in the UK and is used in this context with Street Law Inc’s knowledge.