Prestigious Award for Cardiff Law School for Work with Hugh James

Cardiff Law School beat off stiff competition from across the UK to be highly commended by the Attorney General for pro bono work at a prestigious ceremony at the House of Lords.

Cardiff Law School and Hugh James established a joint ‘legal clinic’ in 2007, to advise on continuing healthcare cases. Hugh James is a leading firm in this area of practice and the clinic allows them to pass on professional experience and valuable expertise to legal students.

Cardiff Law School was highly commended in the ‘Best New Pro Bono Activity’ category in the Attorney General’s Student and Law School Pro Bono Awards 2008. The award recognised Cardiff University Law School has opted to specialise in a niche area of law and practice, which is not always served by legal aid, and address the nationwide problem of assessment for NHS continuing healthcare funding.

Continuing healthcare (also known as nursing care) is where the NHS is responsible for, and fully funds, care - it mainly affects very ill patients, often elderly, in nursing homes; but can also apply if a person is in hospital long term or needs nursing care at home. Hugh James has a specialist team to handle nursing care cases and currently represents over 500 people claiming they were incorrectly charged for care.

Malcolm Evans, Partner with Hugh James, congratulated the clinic on its success: "I’m delighted that the clinic has been recognised in this way and would like to congratulate Cardiff University Pro Bono Team for their success in this prestigious competition. I am confident that the clinic has made a valuable contribution by making legal services available to those who might not otherwise have benefited from them. By offering their services pro bono, Cardiff Law School and Hugh James provide a valuable source of advice and information in an area of law where legal aid is not always available. I look forward to our continued working relationship."

Pat Brand, the Cardiff Law School tutor who supervises the "legal clinic", expressed the Law School’s gratitude to Hugh James (particularly solicitors Lisa Morgan and Nicola Martin) for their unstinting generosity and commitment to supporting the students, without which this venture could not have succeeded in its endeavours to assist vulnerable members of the community.

Professor Gillian Douglas, Head of Cardiff Law School, said "We are committed to continuing to develop our Pro Bono Clinic to support the community and allow our students to gain exposure to the law in action, and learn valuable skills that will prepare them for legal practice."

Over eighty Cardiff University students were given a comprehensive training programme including a session by Hugh James and more than half have gone on to casework. Cardiff Law School and Hugh James also work with the support of Alzheimer’s Society and Age Concern Cymru in providing the service.

The Attorney General Student & Law School Pro Bono Awards 2008 recognised that this partnership has ensured the delivery of a legal service of the highest quality, whilst at the same time exposing students to a unique clinical legal education experience.

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