Every year the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) welcomes students from the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic (USLC) as interns. Our student volunteers are able to assist our SWRC team on a weekly basis, helping with legal research, blogs and policy work, amongst many other things.
Each summer we also host our summer intern from the USLC. They are able to get direct experience of working in a law centre. They get to help with case work and become involved in the day to day running of our SWRC.
We invited our most recent summer intern, Heather Dickson, to tell us about her summer at the SWRC: “One of the highlights of my time at the Strathclyde Law Clinic has undoubtedly been my involvement in the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC).” That’s how I would describe my internship.
A great opportunity over the summer which has allowed me not only to learn from the legal team at JustRight Scotland, but also to spend time with the advocacy team at Rape Crisis Scotland. The experience I gained has been incredibly valuable and I know it will help me throughout the rest of my legal career.
What I learned
Throughout the summer, I was able to massively develop my practical legal skills. I learned how to use case management systems, draft court documents and take effective meeting notes. My research skills were also strengthened. I was given the task to begin scoping out the development of accessible guides explaining to service users how to self-represent in legal proceedings. The legal aid crisis has forced many already marginalised people to face court alone, I’m sure these guides will be extremely beneficial for women across Scotland.
What I also found very interesting was shadowing solicitors and advocacy workers through the SWRC helpline or during legal callbacks to service users. I quickly came to realise that gender-based violence can impact all aspects of everyday life and so the list of legal issues that women can experience are extensive. This highlighted to me just how important the SWRC is in ensuring access to justice to survivors/women who often feel unsupported by the law and face many barriers.
My favourite thing about this internship has got to be working with everyone, not just at the SWRC, but across the whole of JustRight Scotland. I felt a part of the team almost instantly, by being invited to staff meetings, lunches and by receiving lots of helpful career (and travel) advice 😊 It has certainly made the idea of lawyers and law firms a lot less daunting!
I can’t wait to continue working with everyone next year as I will be taking on the role of SWRC coordinator within the Strathclyde Law Clinic.
We’d like to thank our partner Strathclyde Law Clinic. A huge thanks to Heather for her amazing work, her input and her exceptional research – we wish her all the best for her next chapter!
