Centred around the common goal to eradicate poverty, Lawyers Against Poverty (LAP) is an established network of lawyers around the world who are dedicated to ameliorating the access to justice in developing countries through improved legal education. As a junior division of LAP, UCL JLAP aspires to channel and nurture advocacy amongst students whilst gathering passionate individuals who harbour the same ambition together.
We identify, facilitate, and fund strategic legal projects which support access to justice in developing communities. Our initiatives are mainly focused on the following areas:
- Gender-based violence and women’s property rights
- Access to justice and legal empowerment
- Right to food, including land rights, and food security laws
- Legal support for governments, NGOs, universities, and lawyers in communities
- Climate change and other strategic litigation
- Legal support for refugees and asylum seekers
Launched in 2016, JLAP inspires members to uphold social responsibility by contributing their prowess to the attainment of the goal and embracing the core values of the organisation. We champion collective intelligence and encourage members to be proactive and inquisitive in honing both personal and professional skills for holistic development. We empower members to spearhead substantial and meaningful change during the orientation of their future career to ensure the vulnerable can take shelter under the umbrella of legal protection.
Our collaboration with LAP oversees a wide array of learning opportunities that engage students in legal support projects, public interest litigation, twinning law students and law departments at universities, training law students and junior lawyers, and fundraising for the Justice Fund. Despite the pandemic, the successful execution of the panel event entitled ‘Poverty and Pandemic: The Deadly Combination’ was one of the most notable milestones achieved by our committee last year.
UCL JLAP celebrates the qualities that ignite every social change: enthusiasm, vision, independence, and self-actualisation. Involve yourself and unleash your potential with our powerhouse committee members!
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with such an amazing and diverse team with every single member adapting so well to the difficult circumstances we worked in.”
Sahana Karthik
JLAP President 2020/21
“After conducting an interview with His Honour Nic Madge, I gained adaptability and skills in networking.”
Majd Mansour
Engagement Officer and First Year Representative 2020/21
You can find out more about UCL JLAP here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/access-to-justice/junior-lawyers-against-poverty-ucl