Maya’s role within our Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC)
Every year the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) welcomes students from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic as interns.
All of them work alongside our legal team. However, they also improve their knowledge of the wider organisation by taking part in weekly meetings, events and activities.
Maya joined us on a placement over the summer. Here’s what Maya had to say about it!
My experience at JustRight Scotland
Over the summer, I was offered the opportunity by the Strathclyde Law Clinic to work as an intern for the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC). My experience of working for the SWRC through JustRight Scotland (JRS) has been an invaluable and diverse experience, filled with endless practical and legal learning opportunities, which I otherwise would not have had insight into through my degree! The internship has vastly expanded my knowledge of the law relating to Gender Based Violence and provided me with numerous transferable skills which will be of great benefit to me throughout the rest of my legal career.
What I learned
During my time at the SWRC I was involved in many projects, such as writing a consultation response on behalf of the SWRC on the Proposed Abortion Services Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill, shadowing the SWRC helpline, providing legal research on areas of law relating to queries by service users, as well as assisting solicitors by working through their ongoing client case files. Collaborating on these projects allowed me to see how the results of the SWRC’s work impacts all aspects of every-day life, and therefore highlighted to me the significance of the research and assistance I was providing.
Throughout this time, I also managed to develop practical skills such as learning to use all the internal systems for client case filing, improving my research skills, taking better and more efficient meeting minutes, and even learning how to create court process folders (and all the fancy names for different types of documents included) – something extremely common within the legal sector which I wouldn’t have had a clue about otherwise!
Starting this internship was initially a daunting experience for me, as I was the only summer student from the Strathclyde Law Clinic interning at the SWRC, but from my first day, it was made apparent to me that I was an extremely valued member of the SWRC and JustRight team through the welcoming and inclusive environment they fostered. This allowed me to feel at ease with the projects I was tasked with, as I was always assured that the work I was providing was indispensable, and highly appreciated by the team. It was very easy for me to reach out to anyone within the team and ask for help in areas I needed support with, and spark engaging conversation relating to topics within the sector.
I am especially grateful for my internship being in person, as I was able to meet the entire JustRight team, and extended SWRC team in person, and witness first-hand their utilisation of teamwork and collaboration, to create an extremely close-knit, kind, and sociable team environment!
Not only have I been provided with an extensive legal insight into such a fascinating, and rapidly developing area of law, but also appreciation for how prideful and passionate the SWRC are for the work they carry out, and justice that we are able to provide to those seeking support. I intend to carry that insight into the rest of my legal career, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside the SWRC for the remainder of my degree and extend further the invaluable connections I already have with them.
We’d like to thank our partner Strathclyde Law Clinic. A huge thanks to Maya for her amazing work, her input and her exceptional research – we wish Maya all the best for her next chapter!
