It is no secret that training contracts are highly competitive. Recent data on the number of applications and training contract vacancies in UK law firms shows that on average, the success rate for each firm is almost always between 1-3%. Although this doesn’t consider the fact that many students will be applying for many contracts, so their overall success rate may be higher, as well as the fact that the quality of applications tend to improve after more practice, it remains true that it is highly competitive for graduates. Work experience is particularly important for graduates to show that they have applied their academic knowledge in a real-life setting, and that they understand the industry and are committed to this career path.
Volunteering can be an extremely valuable and accessible way of gaining such experience, even for those considering more corporate and commercial legal careers. It’s also a place to meet, speak to and network with pro-bono lawyers, who often give some of their free time to use their qualifications for the greater good. Volunteering is often flexible, meaning it can fit around your academic and personal commitments, and is a great way to try something new.
With this in mind, City Volunteering has curated some of our top picks for charities that offer law-related volunteering and support for law students and graduates looking to gain some real-life experience:
Large, London-wide law centres and charities
Citizens’ Advice - the national charity giving people the knowledge they need to overcome their problems. Volunteering roles include giving people information and advice in person or online, researching and campaigning for policy change and helping witnesses in court. Find your local branch to see which roles they are recruiting for, or visit City Volunteering.
Law Centres Network - another nationwide organisation supporting local Law Centres across the UK. There are 18 branches in London, all in theory offering volunteering opportunities, but they are often oversubscribed – so make sure to check out all the centres near you to see if they’re recruiting or visit City Volunteering.
Prisoners’ Advice Service – the UK’s independent legal charity providing info and representation to people in prison. They recruit Legal Volunteers to communicate with clients and other prisoners, writing to them with information on their cases and responding to letters. Apply through our website here.
Age UK - the UK’s national charity supporting older people. Although not a law centre, they offer information and advice to people, such as on benefits and entitlements, housing, discrimination and pensions. Each local branch has volunteer roles to suit the needs of their local community, so find your local branch or visit City Volunteering.
Smaller law centres
South Westminster Legal Advice Centre - a local legal advice centre providing free legal advice to those in Westminster and nearby who cannot afford it. They cover many areas of law, including housing, employment, divorce, contracts and criminal law. They take on law students as volunteers in their centre to support with admin and taking statements from clients. Apply on our website here.
Nucleus - another local advice centre for local people in Ealing and Kensington. They provide legal advice on welfare benefits, housing, employment, debt, immigration and family law. Volunteers can support them in the advice team supporting caseworkers, or in the admin team taking requests from clients.
Trans Legal Clinic – a London-based legal advice service providing specialist support to the transgender community. This includes areas like the legal processes involved in social transitioning, housing, discrimination and public law. They are keen to recruit law students from underrepresented backgrounds in their work. See their roles on our website here.
Support Through Court - a charity helping people who are facing attending civil and family courts alone. They have volunteers supporting in five courts across London, and applications are cyclical and competitive, so make sure to keep an eye on their social media for when applications re-open.
University House Legal Advice Centre - a small but mighty advice central in Bethnal Green, supporting 5,000 a year on housing, debt, family and employment law. They are always looking for volunteers to support their reception to help with triaging enquiries, so apply here.
Smaller charities
Hackney Migrant Centre - supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants through free advice on immigration, welfare and health. Volunteer roles vary and change over time based on the needs of service users, but have previously included immigration and housing or destitution, as well as advocacy services.
Latin American Women’s Aid - the only refuge in Europe and in the UK by and for Latin American women and children freeing domestic violence. Their centre offers information, advocacy and support on domestic violence, as well as immigration and family law, welfare benefits advice, housing, child support, and employment. Their volunteer programme is exclusively for Latin American and other Black and Minority Ethnic Women, and there are several roles, which you can see here.
CARAS - a community outreach charity in Tooting, supporting people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds in South West London. Their casework team support people with a range of issues including bills, debt, housing, welfare and immigration law. Volunteer roles can be in the youth casework team or the adult casework team – visit their website to find out more.
Bail for Immigration Detainees - providing free legal advice, info and representation to thousands of people held in immigration detention in the UK. They also operate an advice line for clients to call. Volunteer roles are often filled very quickly, so make sure to keep an eye out on their social pages for when they are recruiting legal casework volunteers.
Release - the national centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law, offering free, specialist advice and information to the public and professionals. Volunteers support their work in several capacities, including in the drugs team, research, the harm reduction hub, and the legal team. Visit their website to see which roles they are currently recruiting for.
If you're looking for more advice, please get in touch with the Volunteering team by emailing volunteering@city.ac.uk, booking a volunteering advice appointment on CareersHub or speaking to the Law IRL team.