by Sreeja Goduguchinta , first year L.L.B. student and student writer with the UCL Junior Lawyers Against Poverty Chapter The Rwanda asylum policy was described by Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, as ‘utterly immoral’, ‘wholly impractical’ and showing the lack of respect ministers had for ‘the law, courts and the country’s…
Redefining Legal Landscapes: Navigating the Intersection of AI and Ethics in Law
Ammar Zafar, PhD Candidate, University of Liverpool, School of Law The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal domain signifies a profound paradigm shift from conventional, labour-intensive methodologies to a more streamlined, technologically empowered approach. This transformation transcends mere convenience, heralding a new era that promises to redefine access to legal services and optimize…
Housing Law Series: Part I – Awaab’s Law: A Turning Point in Tenant Rights and Housing Standards?
Taruniga Thambiayah, Publications Editor and Contributor of the UCL Student Pro Bono Committee. Having been inspired by the recent changes within the housing sector due to media outcries and exacerbating factors such as the cost of living crisis, this housing series will be discussing the various legislative reforms that are being introduced or are pending…
How TikTok is Reforming Protest Against Exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
by Anwita Karanth, penultimate year L.L.B. student and student writer with the UCL Junior Lawyers Against Poverty Chapter TikTok has been steadily revolutionising protest since 2020, when the BLM movement gained traction on the app, and continues to demonstrate its influence amongst the youth in current human rights affairs. TikTok’s newest human rights project focuses…
Mind the (Legal Educational) Gap: How the Target Law Mentoring Programme Seeks to Close It
by Amanda Amaeshi, penultimate year L.L.B. student. Education and the law are powerful tools which can transform one’s life and the world for the better. Disappointingly, however, in the UK there continues to be a stark lack of diversity in both higher education and in all areas of the legal practice, specifically in relation to…
Brazilian Legal Clinics Work to Promote Effective Access to Justice
This is an independent guest post written by Suelen Tavares Gil, a Brazilian-qualified lawyer. Ms. Gil currently works as a volunteer lawyer at Cravinas, the human rights and sexual and reproductive rights clinic from the University of Brasília. Brazil has a strong litigation culture, but effective justice is not yet accessible to everyone. Law clinics…
The Power of Interpretation: My Experience Volunteering at the Refugee Law Clinic
Alexandra Thacker, Publications Editor and Contributor of the UCL Student Pro Bono Committee The University of London’s Refugee Law Clinic provides pro bono legal advice for refugee clients. The clinic’s main legal focus is advising on and preparing fresh claims for asylum. A fresh claim is made when an asylum seeker’s case has already been…
The Intermediary: Lawyering in Business and Human Rights
by Ee Vi Lim, final year L.L.B. student. Reviewed by Dr Allison Lindner, Lecturer on Business and Human Rights In the 12 years following the release of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), there has been increased awareness and focus on human rights in the business world. As a student of…
Monthly Round-Up – Oct 2023
Introduction to Pro Bono Talk (Fresher’s only event) Taruniga Thambiayah, Publications Editor and Contributor of the UCL Student Pro Bono Committee. The “Introduction to Pro Bono Talk” event, collaboratively organised by the Student Pro Bono Committee and UCL Law Society, provided an exceptional opportunity for Freshers to explore the extensive landscape of pro bono possibilities…
Dodgy Algorithms and Self-Representation: Is AI Good for Law?
Alexandra Thacker, Publications Editor and Contributor of the UCL Student Pro Bono Committee I was first alerted to the potential problems with algorithms in 2020, when A level results appeared to be unfairly decided by an algorithm which resulted in almost 40% of students receiving lower grades than they had anticipated. After protest from students,…