Ian: « Until March 2020, we were a face-to-face centre, but almost overnight we switched to a fully virtual model. Many of our customers were not familiar with digital platforms, so we were concerned about their ability to access our service. The Centre was represented by students Jeneth Kangombo, Dechlan Moroz, Tamsin Horwood and Zeeshan Akhtar and Ian Bowden, an assistant professor at the University and qualified lawyer. Dechlan Moroz, a second-year student who currently works at the Legal Aid Centre, said, « We all really enjoyed the session and engaged with people who had questions about various legal issues. » Ian said: « It was great for us to be on the road and we had huge feedback from people who were there to ask for advice. The city`s many businesses cover all the legal issues and types of transactions their citizens need. Ian: « There is a limit to what we can do as a counselling centre. We never wanted clients to have to repeat the steps when they need a strict legal solution or when it comes to an area that is not within my remit. Bolton has a very active legal community, so there are a lot of experienced lawyers on our doorstep. The Bolton Law Society has always been at the heart of Bolton`s legal life, with its members exercising their right of hearing before the Magistrates` Court, some before the Crown Court, as well as the coroner and the local police station. Ian: « We had a local community that needed access to legal advice and it was becoming less and less available.
We offer a meet and greet service so guests can stop to see us while they spend their day in Bolton. At least 70 cases pass through the centre in about 12 weeks, so we are very busy! « Last year, a customer wanted to assert his claim in an adverse possession case. One of our students wrote an advice letter about the case so that the lawyer knew the whole story and where the client was. It was put in place in a context of limited access to legal advice, which has created a major gap at a time when more people than ever are in need of legal protection. The Legal Advice Centre at the University of Bolton has been awarded a `Highly Commended` award at the 2021 Bar Awards ceremony. In the shortlist in the « Excellence in Pro Bono » category, the Centre narrowly missed the main award, but was still recognized by the jury in the category: Ian Bowden is an assistant professor and practicing lawyer. Nikolina and Zoe are both final-year students and work at the centre. The judges said they were impressed by the university`s « joint efforts with the local community to ensure efficient use of resources to address unmet legal needs. » Members of the Bolton Bar have supported other lawyers and have served the Bolton community since the Society`s founding in 1826. Students from the Centre were available in the lobby of Bolton`s Central Library at Le Mans Crescent and spoke to the public to discuss a range of legal issues. Gerry Brough, Bolton Council`s Director of Venue Development, will speak about the progress of urban regeneration Ian added: « This partnership with the library will help members of the local community and provide students with invaluable real-life cases to work on. Topics covered included issues relating to property, business, negligence, wills and estates, taxation, criminal law, contracts, divorce, environmental law and immigration law.
The Legal Advice Centre was Ian`s idea and was launched in September 2019. « We partnered with Bolton`s Digital Inclusion Project, which provides IT support like iPads and training for people who are less confident with technology. » The students brought credit to the Faculty of Law and the University of Bolton as a whole. « Ian has been a great mentor, I have learned a lot and it has helped me get a job at a law firm where I work on clinical negligence and employment law. Maybe one day when we qualify, we can come back and think, « I started here, now I`m here. It`s amazing!` Teams of 4-6 members are welcome and the £6 entrance fee per person includes a pâteer dinner. Member of the Bolton Law Society The University of Bolton Legal Advisory Centre has been awarded at the Law Society Awards 2021 Visit the Bolton Bar Association for an evening of wine tasting and networking at the University of Bolton The Bolton Incorporated Law Society (as it was then called) was founded in 1826. Over the past two years, the small team at the University of Bolton`s Legal Advisory Centre has made a huge difference in the local community. The team has been highly commended at our Law Society Awards for their innovative approach to volunteer work. We asked them if they could work with local organizations to help over 270 people and learn from volunteer work.
Join this family law seminar which covers updates on financial law, children`s private law, children`s public rights, factual disorders/Munchausen syndrome, and the use of digital and forensic investigations in court proceedings. The Bolton Law Society is hosting a charity quiz evening to benefit Bolton Dementia Support, « We hope to visit other parts of the district through the Bolton Community Library Network. » Rob Moran-Hetherington, Library Access Manager – SME Champion at the Bolton Library & Museum Service, said: « The staff here were really impressed with the professionalism and focus of the event. Join the Bolton Bar Association`s charity quiz evening on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 6pm in support of Bolton Dementia Support. The quiz night will take place at Masonic Hall, Institute Street, Bolton BL1 1PZ. A seminar focused on hacking in law firms and private emails and accounts. What to pay attention to every day, horror stories to pay attention to and more! Ian: « One moment that stood out to me was a student who was very shy, but chose this module because he wanted to be challenged. » Seeing this student get to the point where he felt comfortable taking on a very serious case made a big difference for me. It was great to see the care and attention they put into supporting a member of our local community. « I remember a walk-in session where four clients walked through the door at the same time. I turned around and this student shook hands with the client and sat him down! To book your tickets, please contact Stacy Fox at AFG Law. Kevin Lynch, former referee member of the Football Association, Ian Bowden, assistant professor and lawyer at the University of Bolton, were pleased that the Centre`s hard work has been recognised nationally.
« Students work on at least three cases, develop interview skills, and end up conducting the interview with the client. The environment is as close to real life as possible and it`s nice to see how customers react to our students` work. Ian: « I am very proud of all the students who work at the Legal Aid Centre. It`s an optional unit of degrees, but it`s great that they come and use their skills to help others. It has treated hundreds of cases of people in the Bolton community and operated remotely during the pandemic, with students helped by university professors.