Legal education
that changes the world
We create innovative pro bono opportunities for students to gain unparalleled access to criminal appeal cases and provide vital assistance to clients who can’t fund legal representation and might otherwise be denied access to justice.
Our students work on real cases under the guidance of expert lawyers. They get access to the most rewarding and interesting pro bono casework imaginable. Our clients get free help and the benefit of the most enquiring minds, emergent legal talent and knowledge, supported by a permanent caseworker team recruited from the best and brightest students and graduates on our programmes.
Legal education should prepare students for practice, but ultimately it should also give them a sense of vocation.
Luke Gittos
Clinic Director
Some of the institutions
we work with...
What we do
SQE 1 & 2 + Qualifying
Work Experience
£245 per month, pay as you go. For aspiring solicitors to gain entry into practice
Develop functional legal knowledge and practical skills for the SQE 1 and SQE 2 assessment, while gaining Qualifying Work Experience.
Pro Bono Programme
For students looking for pro bono opportunities in criminal law
Work on real life criminal appeal cases under the supervision of expert lawyers as you help research and prepare an application to the CCRC.
Civil
Liberties
Safeguarding rights and defending individuals against local authorities.
Encouraging engagement, expanding legal debate, critical thinking and analysis through the lens of civil liberties and student-led projects.
FOR STUDENTS
Our pro bono programme doesn’t just look good on your CV. It provides you with unprecedented insight into criminal defence work, giving you the opportunity to develop subject knowledge and apply theory to complex and serious offences. Definitely something to talk about at interview…
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FOR UNIVERSITIES
We provide unique pro bono and CLE services to leading universities across the UK, helping to inspire future generations of lawyers. What’s more, we also work remotely, so your students can gain fantastic criminal law experience no matter where they are based.
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WRONGFULLY CONVICTED?
We act for defendants convicted of the most serious criminal offences and assist in preparing cases for review by the Court of Appeal and the CCRC. Find out how our unique work pairing students with experienced lawyers could benefit your case.
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EARLY CAREER LAWYERS: You’ve done the training, you’re starting out on your legal career… all you need is access to a portfolio of complex cases that will rapidly develop your core competencies and expertise. And that’s where we come in, because you can make a significant difference to our clients and students alike…email Luke Gittos to find out exactly how.
EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS: If you are an experienced legal professional, we are always looking for people to supervise our students teams or to provide detailed strategic and tactical advice on specific client cases. Our innovative approach and use of technology makes it easy for you to contribute remotely and make effective use of the time you dedicate no only to pro bono but to influence and inspire future generations of lawyers. Email Luke Gittos for more information.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Our engagement with students working across the legal spectrum gives us a unique perspective when it comes to the opportunities and challenges facing our legal system both today and in the future. If you are looking for an expert opinion, case study material, or simply want to find out how we are shaping the future of clinical legal education then email Khaled Hussain-Dupré.
FLC Local
FLC community clinics
Coming soon – local community law clinics by FLC.
Lunchtime Crime Series
The Daniel Morgan Report
Catch up on our Lunchtime Crime Series from 25 June, with Luke Gittos discussing what the Daniel Morgan report tells us about policing.
Legal education
Train to be a solicitor - £245 per month
Our latest legal education programme is designed to make qualifying as a solicitor even more affordable, accessible and flexible…for everyone. From September 2021 our full SQE programme including Qualifying Work Experience will be available on a pay-as-you-go basis…
Youth violence and knife crime
Launch event
Throughout 2021 the clinic will be focussing on the issue of youth violence and knife crime, bringing together experts, academics and students .
Understanding criminal appeals
The White House Farm murders
Watch our video intro series where Luke Gittos talks about criminal appeals in the context of the Jeremy Bamber and the ‘White House Farm’ murders of 1985.
Race and policing
Essay competition winners
Following our incredibly successful Race and Policing Forum in the summer of 2020, the winners of the essay prize are announced.
Video and Podcasts
Criminal justice system and Covid-19
Listen to the inaugural edition of our podcast where we interview James Mullholland QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, talking about the response to the pandemic.
Civil Liberties in the Lockdown
Final report published
Read the culmination of students’ work tracking and analysing the legislative and policing response to Covid-19.
News and Opinion
News, views and updates from the FLC team
Find out more about what is happening with FLC, our programmes and our take on some of the topical legal and law-related issues facing society today.
We are our people, because our people give their time freely to make all of our projects and programmes a success.
Our mission:
Innovative
Legal
Education
The Freedom Law Clinic was established in 2015 as a pro bono and alternatively funded project looking at apparent cases of miscarriages of justice, providing support to convicted prisoners who are maintaining their innocence.
As a result of our initial work, we developed a unique programme which harnesses the power of students to provide vital resource for those who are not able to afford representation and might otherwise be denied access to justice.
Now we are a Community Interest Company and fund our work through a diverse range of paid-for education services. We keep our overheads to a minimum and any profit we make is retained within the company and reinvested to fulfil our long term goal of delivering legal education that really does change the world.
The FLC team
Luke Gittos
Solicitor, Clinic Director
Luke is a criminal lawyer at Murrays Partnership Solicitors and a specialist in complex criminal litigation. He qualified in 2013 and has been working in criminal justice since 2009. He is the case supervisor for all our criminal work.
Grant Ambridge
Solicitor, Director
Grant is senior partner at Murrays Partnership Solicitors and a highly-regarded expert in complex criminal cases.
Khaled Hussain-Dupré
Casework Director
Khaled is the clinic’s most senior caseworker having completed our recruitment programme in 2017. He has worked extensively developing the Clinic’s relationships with new partners and been central to our recent applications to the CCRC.
Josie Laidman
Programme Coordinator
Josie joined the permanent casework team in 2020 having successfully completed our recruitment programme and now coordinates our programme of civil liberties projects and events.
Features
Address
- c/o Murrays Partnership Solicitors
- Uncommon
- 1 Long Lane
- London
- SE1 4PG