BPP Law School wins pro bono award for employment telephone advice service
24 June 2009
BPP Law School was commended for its pro bono activity when it won the “Best Contribution by a Partnership” category at the LawWorks annual awards ceremony, held at Inner Temple on 11th June.
The award was presented to BPP Law School in recognition of its partnership with the Employment Lawyers Association and the Apex Trust, the aim of which is to operate a free legal advice service for people who face challenges in their employment as a result of having had contact with the criminal justice system.
BPP worked closely with the two organisations to set up the Apex Trust Employment Advice Line and later the Employment Law Telephone Advice Line - dedicated telephone service units that respond to enquiries and provide legal advice on employment issues in England and Wales.
Over 100 BPP Law School students were involved in the initiative during the past academic year, which resulted in over 250 members of the public benefiting from free legal advice on issues ranging from employees seeking unpaid wages from their employers to those claiming unfair dismissal on the basis of racial or other discrimination. The telephone service, which operates from Waterloo, one of the four BPP Pro Bono Centre locations, was run by GDL, LPC and BVC students, and managed by the centre’s supervising solicitor and supervising barrister.
Kara Irwin, Director, Pro Bono Centre, BPP Law School said:
“We are honoured to receive this award, and are immensely proud of all those students who gave up their spare time to provide valuable and practical help. We have a number of pro bono projects that we hope will be just as successful in terms of helping those who need this kind of practical legal assistance.”
Over 50 nominations were received across four award categories and the winners were judged by an independent panel consisting of: Baroness Neuberger, former Government Champion of Volunteering, Lord Goldsmith, President of the Bar Pro Bono unit and former Attorney General, and Marcel Berlins, columnist for the Guardian. BPP Law School was the only college to win an award.
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For further information and general media enquiries contact:
Peter Crisp, BPP Law School Tel: 0207 430 7035. Email: petercrisp@bpp.com
Christine O’Grady, Press Office Tel: 0207 633 4418.Email: christineo’grady@bpp.com
About BPP College of Professional Studies
BPP College of Professional Studies (“BPP College”), which comprises BPP Business School and BPP Law School, is owned by BPP Holdings plc, a FTSE 250 company. BPP College is the first private sector, publicly owned organisation to be granted degree-awarding powers by the Privy Council. BPP College delivers business and law programmes across five centres, Leeds, Manchester and London (Holborn, Waterloo and the City) and has more than 5,500 students. For more information about BPP College please visit www.bppuc.com.
About the BPP Law School Pro Bono Centre
BPP Pro Bono Centre, with locations in Leeds, London (Holborn and Waterloo) and Manchester, operates a wide variety of projects through which BPP law students volunteer their time and legal skills and knowledge to help the community. For more information about BPP’s Pro Bono Centre please visit www.bpplawschool.com/probono.
About The Employment Lawyers Association and Apex Trust
The Employment Law Telephone Advice Line (“ELTAL”) and Apex Trust Employment Advice Line (“APEAL”) provide quality employment law advice to individuals in need. APEAL launched in April 2007 in partnership with the Apex Trust (a national charity that promotes employment of people with criminal records), the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA), LawWorks and BPP Law School. The service provides initial advice to individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system and are consequently facing challenges in their employment. ELTAL opened in response to an increasing need for general advice in this busy and complicated area of law.
About LawWorks
LawWorks is the operating name of the Solicitors Pro Bono Group. The Solicitors Pro Bono Group (SPBG) is an independent charity which aims to increase the delivery of free legal advice to individuals and communities in need. For more information about LawWorks please visit: www.lawworks.org.uk.