A former judge has been named as patron of Anglia Ruskin University’s Law Clinic, a successful pro bono initiative that has now helped more than 3,000 people access crucial legal advice.
HHJ Lindsay Davies was named patron of the ARU Law Clinic during a celebration event at the Cambridge campus attended by members of the local judiciary, legal profession, ARU staff and students.
The ARU Law Clinic, which opened in 2018, works with legal professionals, agencies and students to meet some of the unmet need for legal advice across Chelmsford, Cambridge and Peterborough and beyond.
The ARU Law Clinic offers free 30-minute sessions of independent and confidential legal advice to people on matters of family, employment and immigration law. It also allows Law students to gain invaluable experience by working on real-life cases under the supervision of qualified lawyers.
During Covid-19 restrictions, the ARU Law Clinic continued to offer services remotely, and has been used by people from across the UK and beyond. Recently, it helped its 3,000th client, and it is estimated to have provided more than 1,500 hours of free legal advice, worth approximately £400,000.
Sarah Calder, Director of the ARU Law Clinic, said: “The ARU Law Clinic is hugely grateful to Judge Davies for her very visible and vocal support for our work from the very beginning in 2018. We are very pleased that she has agreed to continue that support by becoming our Patron and we look forward to working with her on several exciting new initiatives.”
HHJ Davies was called to the bar in 1975. She became Head of Fenners Chambers in Cambridge, before becoming an Assistant Recorder in 1998 and a Recorder in 2000. In 2012, she was appointed as a Circuit Judge on the South Eastern Circuit, retiring in 2022.
Since the opening of the ARU Law Clinic in May 2018, Judge Davies has supported students through training in the County Court, often involving her judicial colleagues. She has also supported the ARU Law Clinic with projects such as developing and launching websites aimed at providing the public with help and information about the way the Family Court works.
HHJ Davies said: “The work of the Law Clinic benefits everyone – the public; the Law students who gain practical experience of the law in action; the volunteer lawyers who give their time; ARU, which provides such a good service to the local community; and the family justice system, as people come to court with more realistic expectations about outcomes of disputes.
“I thank all of those who are involved in running such a successful and useful service to the family law community in our area.”
Image: HHJ Lindsay Davies Professor Roderick Watkins and Sarah Calder
