Students at the clinics are supported by local legal professionals
Our most recent group of Community Law Clinic students
Feeling lost with your legal problem?
The University of Exeter Community Law Clinic may be able to help.
The Community Law Clinic opened its doors in September 2017. We assist individuals who are not eligible for legal aid or are otherwise unable to afford private legal advice.
We recognise and seek to fill the gaps left by legal aid cuts and help individuals access justice in a system which often appears overly complex, confusing and expensive.
Law students, under supervision from qualified legal professionals, provide free legal advice and information to members of the public in a variety of areas of law.
By collaborating with legal professionals, our students gain valuable skills including research, and client interviewing skills, while at the same time, providing a quality service. We achieved the Specialist Quality Mark from Recognising Excellence in January 2023.
These services range from assisting with simple form filling and letter writing, to legal advice.
We are a busy clinic, and our wait list times can vary. Your matter is triaged by a qualified legal professional and if we cannot assist you because it is not within our specialism or capacity, we will seek to signpost you to a service that might be able to.
Please see below for more information about what each of our clinics cover.
Together as a community, we can make a difference and provide access to justice.
Law students will guide and support you through the stages of your legal problem including employment, housing issues and general civil litigation. We also offer family law advice in partnership with Citizens Advice Teignbridge. Our service is completely free of charge and by appointment only.
Students will conduct the interviews to learn about your problem and provide written legal advice by letter while supervised by qualified legal professionals.
Everyone deserves to have a voice in matters affecting their environment. In collaboration with the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), the Access to Justice Clinic also assists individuals or community groups in matters involving environmental law issues.
The Clinic is open year round. Students work on the Clinic during term-time via the Access to Justice Clinic module and during the summer as a volunteering opportunity.
The availability of immigration advice and assistance in the southwest is very limited. In response to this the university has set up a service for individuals in need of immigration advice, information or assistance. We also connect with local organisations to support those working with individuals who require immigration advice.
The clinic is completely free of charge and by appointment only. Law students work under the supervision of practising solicitors. The service will provide limited advice and information, signposting, and assistance with completing forms. Types of case may include:
Initial Leave to Remain applications | Family, Private Life, 7 years residence for children, Human Rights Outside the Rules (e.g. Article 3 or 8 ECHR)
Entry Clearance Applications
Further Leave to Remain Applications
Settlement applications
Refugee Family Reunion
Nationality – Naturalisation of an adult and/or registration of children as British citizens
EU Settlement Scheme
Travel Document Applications
Priority will be given to individuals who show a particular vulnerability or urgent need, such as destitution and risk of homelessness.
The Clinic is open all year round. Law students can volunteer for this clinic, by application at the relevant time.
Watch our video
University lecturers and solicitors explain how the Community Law Clinic benefits both students and members of the local community, with insights from students and a member of the public who successfully used the service.
"To date, the majority of my course work in the Grad LLB program allowed me to develop my academic skills; such as legal research, essay writing, legal advice, etc. However, the Justice Clinic is the only course which allows me to take the academic knowledge I have gained and apply it to a real-world situation. I have found this extremely beneficial and a significant stepping-stone to prepare us for our future careers as lawyers.
An enticing part of the Justice Clinic is that the work you do with the clinic counts towards your work experience on your CV. This is a great opportunity for students to gain work experience, which would stand out on a CV. The Justice Clinic allowed me to gain experience in other areas of the law, such as, immigration, land and contracts. This has opened my mind and has sparked an interest in contract law. I would 100% recommend the Exeter Justice Clinic to any student pursuing a legal career. It not only provides you the opportunity to apply your legal knowledge to a real-life situation, but you also develop the critical practical skills essential to be an effective lawyer. I am very grateful for the Justice Clinic!"
Bleona, Access to Justice student
"The Access to Justice Clinic is different to other modules because it gives you a practical insight on what it is like to deal with legal work. It’s a great experience to help you determine if you would like to pursue a legal career. Thus, I would recommend to second year students.
To know that I have tried my best and helped someone makes me feel great about my work effort."
William, Access to Justice student
"When I first heard about the Exeter legal clinic, I was thrilled due to the fact that it provided a real time solicitor and client experience. As a law student any legal experience is invaluable. From what I have seen and experienced the Exeter legal clinic has provided me with the perfect opportunity to have a glimpse of what working in the legal field would be like. I have been supervised by some of the best solicitors in the southwest and have had hands on experience on real life cases where I am currently making a difference.
What makes the clinic valuable to me is the interaction with real clients and the emphasis on legal research from any pathway be it immigration, housing or employment. I have had the privilege in working on an immigration case and have learned a lot about the statutes involved and how the immigration system works in this country.
Choosing access to legal clinic as a module has been very interesting to me as it has provided me the opportunity to harness my research and drafting skills. I have been able to gain value experience in client interviewing which has also enhanced my critical thinking and problem solving skills."
