Tools
Tools
Curran, L 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6371-2975,
2025.
Knowledge really is power: NLS legal research and impact evaluation report: measuring the effectiveness and impact of NLS Legal in improving access to justice, key social development goals, and its role in student and staff development.
Nottingham: Nottingham Law School.
Preview |
Text
2362999_Curran.pdf - Published version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
This Research and Impact Evaluation (RIE) of NLS Legal focuses on NLS Legal’s work on educational development of students, direct service delivery (including public legal education as well as information, advice, casework, and representation), access to justice and policy work.
NLS Legal is currently the sole fully regulated teaching law firm in the UK. It is an exempt charity and an Alternative Business Structure (ABS) and is fully integrated into a law school in England, namely Nottingham Law School (NLS). As a regulated law firm and licensed ABS, it carries out ‘reserved legal activities.’ It provides on-site legal assistance on the NLS campus in the Chaucer building at Nottingham Trent University’s (NTU) City campus. It also is a ‘teaching law firm’ providing NLS law students with opportunities to learn and develop skills and exposure to access to justice work.
The report explains the methodology used and the legal and policy context as well as a discussion of significance of the qualitative and quantitative data collected from multiple tools used to test and verify emergent findings. It has significant implications for legal education and access to justice flagging the critical importance of exposing law students to practical experience in services situated in access to justice services and where they are exposed to complex client contexts and legal opportunities and barriers. Not all the sustainable development goals are not relevant. The focus in the report is on reducing inequality (10) access to justice (16.2), improving health and wellbeing (3) i.e. the ‘social development goals.’
Emerging is also a model for practice and legal education in the only teaching law firm in the UK. The data across the multiple tools used indicates that students have enhanced their skills, have been able to use their experience at NLS Legal for their resumes, and have found employment. NLS Legal is contributing to NLS students in their future employability and educational attainment of critical practice skills. This is positioning NLS students for real life work. Students, staff, and the external agencies interviewed observed its transformative value for NLS students. The students report NLS Legal experience has raised their awareness about access to justice. In addition, the quantitative data collected by NLS Legal showed that the grades had increased for students of the teaching law firm compared to the general student cohort. The data also indicated that the teaching law firm at NLS Legal was also being utilised by a diverse range of students. This is significant as it is a step towards ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds gain not only employment experience but are given an opportunity to find future jobs is the legal or broader professions.
The students report NLS Legal experience has raised their awareness about access to justice, with all students surveyed in the two surveys (primary and secondary data) having learned a lot about the dilemmas facing the clients.
Significantly, there is now an emerging body of international research that emphasises the significance of the signposting. The approach employed by NLS Legal, particularly through secondary consultations. This method is not only crucial in helping clients access assistance but also provides clients who may not seek legal support with essential information to navigate legal processes through their trusted intermediaries. Trusted intermediaries are frontline workers who help and support clients and act as intermediaries to help them gain legal help with legal problems to help clients holistically, so they improve their social, economic, and wellbeing outcomes (see Definitions). Additionally, it is recognized as valuable on-the-spot training, especially by resource-strapped organizations. The data suggests that those people who are the poorest, the most disadvantaged, and those in need of legal help for multiple and complex problems are struggling to find help, and that NLS Legal is a critical port of call in Nottinghamshire.
Key conclusions from the study:
•NLS Legal is having a transformational effect on personal and professional development, attainment, and employability prospects for students. (See Student comments on legal empowerment (see page 54). Students reported that because of their experiences at NLS Legal they see the importance of access to justice and the value of pro bono work within wider society (see page 82). If this study is revisited in three – four years as planned, it would be useful good to track their trajectory through quantitative data.
•There is some evidence that student involvement with NLS Legal has been a factor in improving their overall grades. This is suggested by the differential between the NLS Legal students and the General Student cohort in the percentages of students achieving a 2.1 or first-class degree (see page 46-49). Notably, the number of students opportunities has increased between 2015 and 2022 (see page 92). The increase student opportunities NTU has been facilitated through the increased staff base 74% of the students in the survey noted that the existence of NLS Legal was significant in their choice to study at Nottingham Law School (see page 51).
•The significance of the university support in the impact and effectiveness of NLS Legal cannot be understated. This bold and innovative model and long-term investment and commitment of NTU Senior Leadership Team is a key enabler in the provision of this service to students and the community.
•The work that NLS Legal undertakes is important, innovative and has a demonstrable positive impact. Evident in all the qualitative data collected and the interviews conducted was a level of commitment, passion, and compassion towards the clients that NLS Legal serves.
•The value of signposting/and Professional Legal Education of non-legal practitioners-in conversations (“secondary consultation”) with Trusted Intermediaries (TIs, see definition section page 12) is evidenced in the qualitative data from the TIs. The value of informal legal information sharing and conversations conveying tips on navigating the legal system for TIs has immense reach. This reach is often beyond clients formally seen by NLS Legal. These secondary consultations offered by NLS Legal help many TIs to support their clients downstream and often at point at need and for clients who are at risk of otherwise not accessing legal help (see page 78).
•The amount of compensation recovered for clients for example in the year of the data under examination in this study has been significant and NLS Legal provides an important service to Nottinghamshire that is not as widespread in some other regions of England. NLS Legal recovered £995,240 in compensation, settlements, and benefits for clients in 2021-2022, bringing NLS Legal’s cumulative total to £5.5 million and after data analysis for this report was concluded in the year 2022-2023 £6,230,262 (see page 20).
•There is a clear power imbalance between local and national government departments and community members/clients. TIs reported that people accept what Authorities (e.g. local councils, government departments decision-makers and companies) tell them, even though this can be wrong in law (see for example, pages 43 and-56). This is a concern as limited access to legal support means that some people will be disadvantaged if they are misinformed or wrongly advised and do not have the capability to challenge decisions.
Recommendations:
1.There are some good practices in the NLS Legal model enabling earlier intervention and the provision of holistic legal support and expertise. This includes, for example, it’s use of sign posting/legal secondary consultations for the charity sector enabling greater reach to people who might otherwise not gain help. It is also building legal capability in the charity sector so that it can identify issues when they might have legal options for resolution. Such examples could be examined and adopted by the government and regulators. Such approaches can provide models and strategies for the improvement for access to justice in the UK if adequate funding was put in place.
2.Governments have obligations due to the constitutional obligations around the rule of law and ensuring substantive equality before the law. In raising revenue from the taxpayer, Government should ensure this is used effectively to improving the lives of community members through access to justice. Whilst the role of NTU in supporting NLS Legal is commendable, it is not a substitute for sustainable state-led access to justice programmes. Whilst NLS Legal has delivered clear benefits for many disadvantaged groups across Nottinghamshire, access to justice remains is a countrywide problem.
3.NLS Legal should continue its work with clients, students and trusted intermediaries to improve the lives of clients and their communities. NLS Legal should continue with its ‘growth mindset’ in its use of reflective practice to develop, innovate and drive positive change for community and its students and staff. It continues with its culture of innovation in its leadership and staff commitment.
| Item Type: | Research report for external body |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Curran, L. |
| Publisher: | Nottingham Law School |
| Place of Publication: | Nottingham |
| Date: | 30 January 2025 |
| ISBN: | 9781738510023 |
| Identifiers: | Number Type 10.2139/ssrn.5107677 DOI 2362999 Other |
| Divisions: | Schools > Nottingham Law School |
| Record created by: | Jonathan Gallacher |
| Date Added: | 03 Feb 2025 11:13 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Feb 2025 11:13 |
| URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52961 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit View |
Statistics
Views
Views per month over past year
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
