Small Claims Legal Advice Clinic
Keele Small Claims Legal Advice Clinic is a pro bono service that is part of Keele University Law School. The Clinic can advise on contractual disputes up to a value of £10,000 (falling within the small claims track). Examples include, claims in respect of a faulty product, poor service, being owed money for work done. We can advise both consumers and businesses.
Students will take initial instructions, draft attendance notes, letters of advice and basic documentation under supervision of a solicitor employed by the University. Please note that we do not deal with very urgent matters and we do not conduct litigation or run cases for you.
Supported by Rebecca Dennis-Benn, Operations Coordinator (Legal Advice Clinic)
Our Small Claims Clinic can advise clients in breach of contract claims up to the value of £10,000. We can assist individuals and businesses', and they can be either the claimant or the defendant.
Typical matters that we can advise on include:
- Dispute about a faulty product
- A service carried out to a poor standard
- Being owed money for work carried out
If you require assistance for a matter outside of the remit of the clinic you may find the below links useful.
Legal advice for individuals | LawWorks
There are a number of law firms who offer fixed fee advice in Small Claims matters and you may find it helpful to search here for someone in your geographic area who is able to assist. You may also find this link helpful - https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/.
All client meetings are by pre-organised appointments only. Appointments can be in person at our Keele in Town building in Newcastle-under-Lyme or remotely via MS Teams.
This is a pro-bono free legal advice service.
Contact us here.
Student Volunteering – Keele Legal Advice Clinics
Students can opt in to become a student advisor within their second and third year of study. Applications open once a year, with shortlisted students invited to an assessment centre/interview.
Students can choose to participate in a chosen area of Law and opt-in to support our Personal Injury Clinic alongside their chosen clinic.
Successful applicants attend training covering client interviewing, legal research using practitioner databases, and providing practical legal advice. Students may also draft legal documents and advise clients both in writing and in meetings.
This experience supports your professional development and can be recorded on your HEAR, and may count as Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) for the SQE.
By joining the Legal Advice Clinic, you will:
- Gain valuable practical legal experience
- Build client interviewing and communication skills
- Learn how to time record and use a case management software
- Enhance your CV and employability
- Work collaboratively in a professional legal setting
- Gain qualifying work experience (QWE) for SQE
- Recorded on your HEAR report
Supervised by Sarah Askey, the Small Claims Advice Clinic offers experience advising individuals and businesses on:
- Dispute about a faulty product
- A service carried out to a poor standard
- Being owed money for work carried out
This Clinic provides invaluable practical experience to law students who are studying at Keele University.
Students work under solicitor supervision, taking client instructions, drafting notes and advice, and preparing basic legal documents.
The clinic runs a weekly appointment sessions at Keele In Town, alongside pre-arranged meetings (online or in person).
Students should be available for around 4 hours per week.
Students also have their own dedicated space within the School of Law to work on any matters confidentially or to meet with clients via MS Teams if they wish to use it. To book this space please contact Rebecca.
Face-to-face client meetings predominantly take place on Wednesday afternoons at Keele in Town during term time. However, students may occasionally be asked to accommodate online client meetings outside of these times, depending on client needs and service requirements.
Following each client meeting, a letter of advice must be prepared and completed within two weeks of the meeting date.
Students are expected to dedicate an average of four hours per week to clinic work outside of scheduled activities. This is an average commitment, and some students may choose to spend additional time on clinic-related work. As client meetings do not take place every week, students should use weeks without client appointments to undertake activities such as legal research, drafting advice letters, case preparation, and other clinic-related tasks.
If you have any questions please contact Rebecca Dennis-Benn on legal-advice-clinic@keele.ac.uk
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