National award shortlisting recognises reach of Law students’ volunteer work
University of Chester Law students have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award recognising their volunteering work to support and empower survivors of domestic abuse.
Law students from the University’s School of Law and Social Justice are finalists in the 2025 LexisNexis Legal Awards, held to celebrate the remarkable achievements of those making a difference in the legal field.
The students’ dedication to the ‘Reach out to Survivors: Domestic Abuse’ project has earned a nomination in the University Pro Bono Award category, which highlights impactful legal projects undertaken free of charge in the public interest.
The University of Chester Law School operates several student-run pro bono projects under the umbrella of Chester Community Law Project (CCLP). Each ‘Reach Out’ project is led by a student project manager and operated by student volunteers from the undergraduate Law degree.
The Reach out to Survivors project provides legal support to survivors of domestic abuse in the Chester area. Students attend weekly open access groups for women run by Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) from Cheshire West and Chester Domestic Abuse Intervention and Prevention Service. They provide on-the-spot legal information, guidance and moral support to attendees needing assistance because of being in an abusive relationship.
In addition to in-person guidance, the team has produced leaflets on topics including Non-Molestation, Occupation, Child Arrangement and Restraining Orders. These leaflets, produced by students under the supervision of local volunteer solicitors, provide concise, easy-to-understand guidance and have been shared widely across the Cheshire IDVA network for use at open access groups across Cheshire.
Students have also leveraged the power of technology to enable those who need guidance to access it safely online. All leaflets are accessible on a mobile device via the project’s Wordpress link, https://chestercommunitylawproject.wordpress.com/familylaw/, and the team has launched a TikTok account housing short videos explaining the topics covered by the leaflets: ChesterCCLP DA (@chestercclp.da) | TikTok.
Alongside this, students have established an appointment-based service to assist survivors in completing applications for Non-Molestation and Occupation Orders. Further, as a practical way of helping survivors who need to attend court to testify in criminal proceedings against their abuser, during the summer of 2024, students assisted with a visit to Chester Crown Court to meet Witness Service staff, to enable survivors to understand the support available for them.
Last year, the student volunteer team provided information and guidance to 279 women supported by the service and their TikTok content was viewed more than 3,500 times.
The LexisNexis Legal Awards shortlisting comes after student volunteers from the initiative were named winners of the national LawWorks and Attorney General's Student Pro Bono Award at the House of Lords for Best New Pro Bono Activity 2024.
Chloe Lewis, third year Law student and Student Project Manager for Reach out to Survivors, said: “Being nominated for the LexisNexis Legal Awards is an incredible achievement and is a real testament to the impact our pro bono work has on the community. We are absolutely thrilled and so proud of the student volunteers who put so much hard work into the project.”
Megan Arnold, second year Law student and Deputy Student Project Manager, shared more on being part of the initiative: “Working on the Reach out to Survivors project has been such a valuable experience. Working with the IDVAs to help those who have or are currently experiencing domestic abuse has been immensely rewarding and I could not think of a better experience to prepare me further for a career in Law.”
Associate Professor Andrea Todd, the Law School’s Director of Pro Bono and Community Engagement, added: “Our student volunteering team is making an outstanding impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our local community and to be recognised for this at the highest level is a fitting testament to their hard work and commitment.”
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Thursday March 13, 2025. For further information on the Awards please visit the LexisNexis Legal Awards website.