Law for Change aims to increase student access to legal services

UC Club, Law for Change, are aiming to get rid of the daunting process that is finding legal advice. Photo: Community Law Canterbury.

UC club, Law for Change, has been running free legal clinics in partnership with Community Law Canterbury to bring free legal advice to students on campus.

Law for Change’s Community Law Coordinator, Tayla Rakowitz, told Canta that the clinics aim to better educate students and break down barriers that have previously prevented students from accessing legal help.

“As a student, seeking legal assistance can be daunting. It can be confusing and worrying. This initiative is designed to provide a space for students to receive free legal advice in a comfortable and familiar environment.”

Cost is one of the most obvious factors that prevents students from getting the support they need. With lawyers charging anywhere from $100 upwards an hour for legal advice, this is simply not something all students can afford.

The clinics allow students to have a 45-minute meeting with a Community Law Canterbury solicitor. These sessions are run over Google Teams with the student given a private room in Haere-roa to ensure confidentially and privacy.

All students need to do to access this service is simply fill out a form with information on their situation.

Rakowitz said that the initiative was an important one to the club, as students are often not aware of their legal rights making them a vulnerable group.

Although the initiative has been an important step in the right direction, there is still much to be done to improve student access to legal services. But also, basic legal knowledge among students.

Rakowitz believes that students should be given the opportunity to learn basic legal knowledge. Saying that this “can be used in every aspect of life, not just when an issue or a dispute arises.”

She encouraged any student with a legal question or facing a legal issue and need of help to contact Community Law Canterbury.

Some helpful tips are to make records of email and text exchanges, create timelines and keep documents or agreements, as it is this information that allows for “in-depth, reliable and accurate advice to be given.”

Students in need of help can also contact other organisations and services such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Tenancy Services and the Ministry of Business or Innovation and Employment.