Hi I'm Catherine Edwards, I'm supervising
solicitor at the Divorce Legal Advice
Clinic at Keele. So our clinic model is
different that at other universities.
I felt that when establishing this it was
important that our students got proper
client handling experience and so they
see the clients right from the very start.
They may have to do some research.
They write to the clients explaining
whether they have the basis for a
divorce or not. They then draft
documentation such as the divorce
petition or an acknowledgement of
service. They then go on to manage that
case as it progresses through court
explaining things to clients as they go.
I believe that this gives them the
opportunity to demonstrate not just
client interviewing, research, legal
drafting but also client managing skills
which is so crucial in whatever
employment you go into particularly with
divorce clients who can be rather
unhappy at the state of affairs that
they find themselves in and so it's
important in skills development for
students and we found that students who
have done the clinic have been able to
enhance their skills substantially
through this experience.
