In 2019 the Open Justice Centre established the Open Justice Policy and Law Reform Clinic to undertake research on behalf of charities and to respond to consultations from the Law Commission. 

The clinic continues to grow in terms of the numbers of organisations and students involved in its work each year. Students gain experience of carrying out legal policy and advocacy work for a charitable or third sector organisation or to influence government policy. Students work on a brief provided by an organisation and carry out research to produce analysis and recommendations, which can be used by the organisation to influence their policy work. The students taking part in the clinic are in their final year of their law degree. .  

Policy Clinic Projects

Since 2019 the students have worked on variety of different project including a project for the Royal National Institute for the Blind, a charity supporting those who are blind and partially sighted across the UK. Another project was for the Scottish Sentencing Council, an independent advisory body which carries out a range of work concerning sentencing in Scotland. Students have also conducted research for the Bridges Programmes, a specialist Scottish agency supporting the social, educational and economic integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants living in Glasgow and the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), a charity which helps the voice of ordinary people and communities to be heard on matters affecting the environment in which they live. The clinic has worked with the Josh Hanson Trust in partnership with Lancaster University and the University of Lancashire where students across the universities conducted research into the unduly lenient sentencing scheme. Students this academic year have been involved in a project with Student Actions for Refugees researching university fees for asylum seekers and refugees across the four nations. 

Law Commission Projects

Students have been actively engaged with making contributions to the consultations of the Law Commission. We have submitted research from students on reform of the law on consent in the criminal law, law of homicide, defences of insanity and kinship. The work of the Law Commission is focused on change that brings benefits to individuals and communities. 

Continued influence of previous years’ projects

Several projects from previous years have influenced law reform, and we are delighted that our students’ work has impacted proposed changes to the law.

In 20-21 a group of students undertook a project researching the cost of civil weddings, and their report was forwarded to the Law Commission’s project ‘Weddings’. In July 2022 the Law Commission proposed reforms to the law relating to where and how couples can get married, to provide simpler, more affordable and personalised weddings.  This addressed some of the recommendations in the policy clinic report regarding unjustified differences in costs of civil registry office weddings across the country. You can read the report here.

In 21-22 a policy clinic project, run jointly with Northumbria University, proposed reforms to the law on renting property to tenants with pets. This research was carried out on behalf of the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS). The Renters Rights Act 2026 came into law,  which will make it easier for tenants to keep pets.  Tenants will have the right to request a pet and pet insurance will be permitted (which was one of the recommendations of the report).

In 21-22 one of the policy clinic projects (again run jointly with Northumbria University) researched the impact of COVID-19 and the move to online court hearings on the public’s access to court hearing.  The government announced an open consultation ‘Open Justice: the Way Forward’ in May 2023, and the analysis and recommendations from the policy clinic report were used to respond to the consultation.

In 23-24 students worked with Youth Link Scotland to research Scotland’s current youth work provision and explore what it might look like, focusing on whether the Scottish Parliament should introduce a right for all young people to access quality youth work provision. Their work has helped underpin the proposed Members’ Bill by Martin Whitfield MSP. 

Josh Hanson Trust has had incredible success in its campaigning work, amendments to legislation that the charity have been calling "Josh’s Law" for the past seven years have finally been agreed upon. They are included in the Victims and Courts Act, which is now awaiting Royal Assent. Tracey Hanson said” The research was a turning point for the campaign. It provided the evidence and the authority I needed to show that the system was failing families. You and your students didn't just do a piece of research; you gave us the tools and confidence to change the law.”

Policy clinic testimonials

Quotes from students who have been involved in recent policy clinic activities.

I would highly recommend the policy clinic. My participation in the clinic provided me with an unexpected but most welcome opportunity to become curious, explore and understand environmental law, focusing particularly on climate change emergency declarations as part of a UK wide research project. Tutor support has been invaluable. I have also enjoyed working as part of a supportive student team. Finally, I had the opportunity to represent the Open Justice Centre as part of a national meeting with other students across the UK, which was a real privilege. The policy clinic is the hidden gem of W360!