Shopping for legal advice given the green light as centre reopens

The University of Wolverhampton’s Legal Advice Centre (LAC), located in the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton, has reopened following its closure in March due to the pandemic and it will be holding a ‘Family Mediation Clinic’ in support of National Pro Bono Week.

LAC offers face to face appointments, with students resuming their duties as student volunteers, providing general advice and signposting to members of the public.

Pro Bono Week takes place from Monday 2^nd November until Friday 6^th November and is an annual event which provides recognition to those lawyers who support members of the public in offering free legal advice to those in need.

Beverley Rizzotto, LAC Manager, said: “Members of the public are already getting back in touch with us, and we are seeing a quick increase in the number of enquiries we are receiving. This is great for the student, who are able to resume their activities at the LAC and provide assistance to members of the community, in taking interviews, researching and providing general legal information about a range of issues. 

“Due to the pandemic, I believe that there will be an increased number of people requiring advice, particularly in relation to employment law related matters and housing (landlord and tenant) and we are here to help.

“To mark the University of Wolverhampton Law School’s dedication and commitment to pro bono work and clinical legal education, the LAC will be holding a ‘Family Mediation Clinic’ during the first week of November where a practitioner and qualified mediator will attend the Centre offering free appointments to those who want to find out more about the mediation process.”

Shropshire Mediation Services will attend the Legal Advice Centre on Monday 2^nd November from 12pm – 2pm, and student volunteers from the University’s Law School will shadow the mediator during the appointments.  

To book an appointment, please contact the Legal Advice Centre Manager, Beverley Rizzotto, via email on beverley.rizzotto@wlv.ac.uk to book an appointment.

The LAC, which is located in the Mander Centre in Victoria Arcade (ground floor) next to Body Care, will be open on Mondays 10am – 2pm, Wednesdays 10am – 12pm and Thursdays 10am – 4pm.  To ensure that all students volunteers, staff and service users have access to the services and opportunities, ‘online’ appointments will also be available via Microsoft Teams.

Anyone wanting to find out more about the services on offer should visit the website.

ENDS