The Legal Advice Centre at Queen Mary University of London has launched a new clinic offering free legal advice to members of the Black community to help tackle discrimination.
The Legal Advice Centre has been welcoming clients to the Mile End campus since September 2006
The Black Justice Project is a collaboration with legal firm Mishcon de Raya and will offer free legal advice to members of the Black community who have faced employment discrimination and those who have potential claims under the Equality Act.
The new clinic will also offer to support to those who have a potential civil action against the police including for false imprisonment, unlawful detention and loss of liberty. It will provide assistance to people who have faced misuse of private information claims, malicious prosecution, as well as trespass to property or goods.
In addition, the free legal clinic will also support people who are part of the Windrush generation and want to apply for financial compensation through the Windrush Compensation Scheme as a result of any losses suffered. This includes cases of people being denied employment, housing or where people may have mistakenly been detained or threatened with deportation.
Francis Ridout, Director of the Legal Advice Centre at Queen Mary said: “As the most diverse university in the Russell Group, Queen Mary’s Legal Advice Centre has a proud history of serving the wide range of legal needs within our East London community. We hope this project will empower those facing discrimination as well as support actions arising from the Windrush scandal.”
Molly Javangwe, Paralegal and point of contact for the initiative at law firm Mishcon de Reya said: “We are extremely proud to be involved with the Black Justice Project. This initiative is undertaking the essential work needed to help fill the void in the provision of legal advice to the Black community, that specifically focuses on the community's needs and the pervasive long-term discrimination that leads to ever-restricting access to justice.”
The Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre is a student law clinic enabling undergraduate law students to advise members of the public on the law while being supervised by volunteer barristers and solicitors. Clients can pre book an appointment (virtual at present) and receive written legal advice within 14 days of their appointment.
The Centre has been welcoming clients to the Mile End campus since September 2006 and has advised over 3000 people in this time. This project is important in recognising the particular challenges that members of the Black community can face with regards to employment law, police conduct and immigration rights.
Mishcon de Raya is a British law firm with offices in London and Singapore. Founded in 1937, it currently has over 500 lawyers and is regarded as one of the leading law firms in the UK.