Social justice at UofG School of Law
Glasgow School of Law has a strong track record of delivering practical legal advice and support in the community. The very first woman solicitor in the UK was a Glasgow Law graduate! One hundred years ago Madge Easton Anderson made history by becoming the very first woman solicitor to qualify in the UK (in Scotland!). This inspirational graduate of Glasgow Law School also gave up her time to offer free legal advice to the community of Anderston as a “Poor Man’s Lawyer.” Her work laid the foundations for what became a Free Legal Dispensary, running in collaboration with the Law School in the 1930s and 40s. Around this time the Legal Dispensary supported the University Settlement to help set up Glasgow’s first CAB after WWII.
More recently we have partnered with external agencies and organisations to ensure that they get a steady stream of our best and brightest students to help them to deliver access to justice to those most in need. We are proud to have celebrated our 25th anniversary of collaborating with Citizens Advice Scotland in academic session 2017/18. Every year we place up to 30 students in Citizens Advice Bureaux around the city and on the advice phone-lines of Citizens Advice Direct. We are pleased that more and more opportunities are available to students each year through our partnerships with Govan Law Centre, JustRight Scotland, MECOPP, the Legal Services Agency and Shelter Scotland and others.
Our annual GO Justice Challenge, allows students to develop ideas focusing on solving real social justice issues through the law. Find out more at GO Justice Challenge.