Page 27 - Messenger Sep 2017

News 27
Pro bono for busy lawyers
BPP Manchester’s Pro Bono Centre runs a range of stu- dent led projects. These include the more well-known legal advice clinics as well as areas such as public legal education, translation and procedural assistance at em- ployment and medical tribunals in the area. We have over 250 students volunteering annually and help scores of clients in a variety of different practice areas. Given the volume and variety of projects the Pro Bono Centre runs, their work would not be possible without the fantastic support of its external supervisors.
Enterprise Clinic
This year we have set up an Enterprise Clinic. The adage of Britain being ‘a nation of shopkeepers’ is reflected in the fact that of the 5.4 million businesses in the UK last year, 5.3 mil- lion were classed as ‘micro businesses’ with fewer than 10 employees.
The clinic provides free commercial advice to startups and small businesses who would not otherwise have access to legal advice. In its first term, the clinic has helped a wide va- riety of clients with issues including:
• how to register a limited company,
• disputes with consumers or suppliers • issues with commercial leases; and
• advice regarding copyright or trademark.
Law student volunteers meet clients and conduct a fact- finding interview. They follow up each interview with a de- tailed letter of advice supervised by a qualified lawyer. The Enterprise Clinic is currently looking for commercial solici- tors to supervise the clinic appointment either in person or via Skype and review the law students’ letter of advice. Should you volunteer, we will endeavor to match your ex- perience with the advice being sought.
All projects are supported by fully qualified solicitors, who have all previously worked in private practice. BPP’s staff un- derstand the barriers that practitioners face when engaging in pro bono work. Time can be a major factor, as well as many feeling their field of expertise might not add value. The Pro Bono Centre has created initiatives that meet the
community’s legal needs and provide better opportunities for lawyers to get involved in pro bono.
Pro bono from your desk!
• ELTAL is BPP’s employment law helpline. This project pro- vides a simple but effective model, enabling clients to re- ceive prompt initial advice by telephone. Nearly all of the callers would find it difficult to access traditional legal ad- vice, largely because of cost, but also because traditionally evening appointments are not available. We are on the look- out for qualified solicitors to give an hour’s free advice to clients by telephone once every 8-12 weeks.
• Streetlaw is BPP’s free public legal education project. Fun and interactive legal sessions are delivered to community groups that might not otherwise have access to legal infor- mation, including schoolchildren, prisoners and homeless people. In 2016/17, 325 BPP law students delivered over 200 Streetlaw sessions to over 3000 members of the pub- lic. BPP has over 50 presentations in its precedent bank, on topics including housing, employment, consumer law, IP and human rights. BPP is always on the lookout for experi- enced practitioners who would be willing to review a pres- entation to check the legal content is up to date.
If you would like to get involved, or simply have a chat to discover how you/your firm could work with us, please don’t hesitate to contact Probonomanchester@bpp.com.
SRA Corporate Strategy
Bring your child to work for an inspiring day
Over the last three years we have reformed our reg- ulation and how we work. We have cut bureaucracy, improved our customer service and set out a path for real change in our sec- tor.
Now it is time to look ahead. This draft strategy sets out what we want to achieve over the three years to 2020.
We are proposing five strategic aims:
1 We will set and apply consistently high profes- sional standards for the individuals and firms we regulate and make sure they are appropriate to meet the challenges of today and the future.
2 We will make sure our regulatory requirements are proportionate, provid- ing solicitors and firms the flexibility to innovate and better meet the needs of members of the public and businesses, while maintaining appropriate levels of public protec- tion.
3 We will increase the availability of relevant and timely information to help people make in- formed choices in the legal services market.
4 We will make sure that our regulatory arrange- ments work as effectively as possible for the public, businesses, solicitors and firms in the context of constitutional develop- ments within the UK and any new relationship with the EU.
5 We will work better to- gether and with others to improve our overall effec- tiveness, our responsive- ness and the delivery of our regulatory functions.
To draw up our strategy, we have looked at what is com- ing down the line – what is happening in the legal sec- tor that would or could im- pact on what we do, from Brexit to the rapidly chang- ing legal market.
This is the first time we are consulting on our Corporate Strategy, as we want to know if we have got it right and if anything is missing. We welcome your views on whether our strategy will help us build a diverse, open and modern legal market. One that works in the best interests of the public, and helps solicitors and law firms develop and thrive.
Bring Your Child To Work Day (www.bringyourchild- toworkday.co.uk) provides children with the unique op- portunity to spend an entire day at their parents’ workplace, learning about the company and industry they work in, in a highly interactive, fun and educational way.
This initiative, founded by Employees Matter, has been adopted by many companies in the UK and is run by highly trained educational leaders who create a full day of inspir- ing events for children of staff to give them their first look at the world of work. While parents carry on with their daily work routine, their kids are elsewhere in the building, en- grossed in innovative workshops and events related to the industry they work in.
Whether it’s setting up the world’s first childrens’ law firm, bank, stock market, retail chain, newspaper or TV channel or just learning about their parents’ industries, the pro- grammes comprise fun, workplace-inspired activities de- signed to develop their understanding of work.
The fun-filled Bring Your Child To Work Days have already been successfully taking place within many companies across the UK, including Northern Trust, , BNP Paribas, Pin- sent Masons and Bloomberg, with further days planned for summer 2017 at firms, including VISA, Bank of Tokyo Mit- subishi, Bird & Bird and Herbert Smith Freehills. This initia- tive bridges the gap between the academic offerings of the school curriculum, and the real-life experiences that shape the vision and ambition of our future leaders. Not only fun- packed, it also introduces the concept of work at an early and impressionable age.
The Bring Your Child To Work Days are organised by Employ- ees Matter, who piloted the Bring Your Child to Work Day after hearing about the success of the initiative in the United States. Starting out in two companies, they now firmly lead the field, as 8-16 year olds across the country get a real-life glimpse of mum, dad, auntie or uncle’s job and responsibil- ities.
Zoe Sinclair, Director of Employees Matter, who founded the Bring Your Child To Work Day said: “This is a great way for us to create a window into our working lives for our children to climb into, to help them understand what their parents do all day at work when we are apart from them.” She added, “what could be more exciting than spending a day seeing what adults really do all day?
Together with the team at my company, Employees Matter, I thought about what would inspire and engage my own children. I wanted to create something for the kids that was more than just ‘work experience’ and something more than sitting bored at their parents’ desks observing them in ac- tion. That’s why we work with engaging and inspirational teachers who run workshops throughout the day for the children, on all aspects of the business. The children are tak- ing part in team building, financial education, marketing, branding and innovation workshops.
When would they ever get to do that at 8 or 12 or 16 years old? Surely this will get them excited about life after school...”
For further information, visit www.bringyourchildtoworkday.co.uk