NEW HOME FOR L AW CLINIC Generous gifts are helping the UEA Law Clinic change lives.
T
he history of Earlham Hall, the home of the UEA Law School, is long and littered with greatness. In 1786, this was the family home of the young Elizabeth Fry, who would go on to become one of Britain’s great social reformers and precede Winston Churchill as the face of the five pound note. Back then, Elizabeth would clothe local children and teach them to read and write. Today, Earlham Hall is just as valuable to vulnerable people in the local community. THE L AW CLINIC REOPENS As part of a multimillion-pound renovation project of Earlham Hall, the previously disused outbuildings have been beautifully transformed and extended to provide state-ofthe-art facilities for the award-winning Law Clinic. Here, UEA students are working with local charities to give legal help to those unable to afford it and fight for justice where it has been withheld. The Law Clinic’s new, purpose-built premises include a large, open-plan office where students meet and work, two private consultation rooms for meetings with clients, an airy reception space and 10 staff offices. Expert craftsmen transformed the space, funded by Difference Campaign donors – many of whom studied at the Law School and wanted to give something back following their fond memories of UEA. “It’s wonderful that our donors’ memories of their time at UEA and its impact on their lives has inspired them to give to the campaign,” says Professor Gareth Thomas, Director of the Law Clinic. “The best way I can show my thanks is to promise that we will use every inch of this new space, and all its potential, to provide unrivalled opportunities for our students, support the community in every way we can and continue to provide employers with talented graduates.”
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www.uea.ac.uk/difference
SERVICES FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNIT Y Polly Morgan (LAW00), Chief Operating Officer at the Law Clinic, explains the range of services now available to the local community: “Our biggest activity is with Norfolk Community Law Service. They are a free, independent legal advice clinic. Around 90 of our students per year volunteer in a range of the different services that they offer, some of which are now coming into this building. Those services include a welfare benefits team, where student advocates have helped reclaim more than £7 million for vulnerable people in the local area. Elsewhere, students fight wrongful convictions with the Justice Project, and the Street Law team aims to give schoolchildren the confidence to enter the legal profession.
O UR DO N O RS’ ME MO RIE S O F T HE IR T IME AT UE A HA S IN SPIRE D T HE M TO G IV E TO T HE CA MPA IG N.
