Case Study 1
Mr M was viciously attacked by unknown assailants following a night out with friends. He suffered a fracture of the orbital bone cavity of his right eye requiring two operations and leaving him with permanent scarring. Having been refused Criminal Injuries Compensation by the CICA the Student Law Office successfully helped Mr M appeal this decision. We represented Mr M at his hearing he was awarded £2,200 in compensation as a result.
Case Study 2
Mr G was the victim of an armed robbery during the course of his employment as a Cash Transit Officer. He suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following this incident lasting for almost two years at the date of hearing with symptoms expected to resolve slowly over many years. Having been refused Criminal Injuries Compensation by the CICA the Student Law Office successfully helped Mr G appeal this decision. We represented Mr G at his hearing and he was awarded £8,200 in compensation as a result.
Case Study 3
The students in the Student Law Office drafted a management agreement for a client who was concerned that there was nothing in place to formalise his relationship with the band he was managing, known as “The Watchers” despite him having effectively contributed to the band’s success. The management agreement formalised the client’s relationship with the band and protected his legal position.
Case Study 4
The client wished to set up a charitable trust to assist with the costs of caring for sick and injured hedgehogs. The client was interested in raising awareness about hedgehogs and their overall decline and wanted to know what sources of funding may be available to such a charity. The students provided the client with advice and guidance on the necessary formalities to set a charity. The students also provided the client with information surrounding funding and grants available to the charity.
Case Study 5
Mrs E is a carer for her brother who has a number of health problems and disabilities. He had applied for Disability Living Allowance to help with these problems but this had been refused. The Student Law Office assisted with a benefit tribunal obtaining supporting medical evidence, preparing arguments for and attending to represent at the tribunal hearing. As a result the client was awarded backdated benefit amounting to in excess of £7,000 together with an ongoing extra weekly payment of £136.60.
Case Study 6
Mrs G is an elderly blind woman. She was visited at her home by a sales representative from a bed company. She thought he had come about a prize offer from the company. He proceeded to sell her an expensive orthopaedic bed despite the fact that her medical condition makes it impossible for her to use a bed. Students went out to visit her in her home and took her instructions. The students wrote a letter to the company who agreed to reimburse Mrs G. The students have reported the company to Trading Standards.
Case Study 7
Students represented a group of parents of disabled children whose home transport was removed by a local authority. Following a series of complaints brought by students on their behalf to the Local Government Ombudsman in 2007, the case worker dealing with the matter decided that there was no maladministration in any but two out of ten cases. The Student Law Office challenged these decisions and notified the Ombudsman of intention to commence judicial review. The matter was then considered by the chief ombudsman of the northern region who decided personally to reinvestigate all cases in January 2008. Her investigation is still ongoing.
Case Study 8
Mr L was issued with numerous parking tickets for parking on a street where double yellow lines had temporarily been removed pending re-painting. Mr L pleaded not guilty but missed his trial date and was convicted in his absence. Some considerable time after the deadline for appeal had passed, Mr L came to the Student Law Office for help in appealing this decision. The students researched his case and successfully applied to appeal the case out of time to the Crown Court. The case was listed for an appeal hearing and the students gathered evidence to support Mr L. When the evidence was submitted to the Prosecution, they decided not to oppose the appeal and the conviction was overturned.
Case Study 9
Ms J booked first class tickets for herself and her husband to Jamaica (at considerable expense) as a treat following Mr J's lengthy illness. Instead of first class, they were given economy seats but the travel agents, the airlines and the consolidator would not accept responsibility. With the help of the Student Law Office, Ms J pursued a county court case and obtained judgement in her favour, recovering compensation.
Case Study 10
Company R were a learning and development consultancy offering assistance to business including the provision of staff training and help with recruitment. The students advised Company R on issues such as share buy-back, employee rights, removal of directors, and explained how each of these could be carried out.
Case Study 11
Mrs J took a horse out on loan on behalf of her daughter; the horse became seriously ill as a result of a disease and subsequently died. Mrs J was then taken to court for recovery of veterinary bills which were incurred as a result of the horses illness and paid for by the owner of the horse. The students acted for Mrs J who was the defendant in the case and disputed agreeing to pay the veterinary bills. The students researched the legal issues involved in the case, and represented Mrs J on both preliminary issue and full trial of the case in the small claims court. The Student Law Office successfully defended the claim on behalf of Mrs J.
Case Study 12
Just before Christmas, Mrs P found that £2000 was missing from her bank account. She discovered that unknown to her; a man claiming to be her landlord had made a claim against her, which she had not received as it went to a previously rented property. He had therefore obtained judgment, and frozen funds in her bank account, to satisfy the judgment.
Two students in the Student Law Office acted for Mrs P in the proceedings, helping her to get the judgment set aside by making the application and representing her at that hearing. They then prepared a defence and counterclaim. As a result, the landlord dropped his claim against her, and the money was subsequently returned to her bank.
Case Study 13
Last year the Student Law Office successfully assisted Ben Hoare Bell LLP in a judicial review of the decision of the coroner for Durham not to reopen an inquest. This involved a GP, previously acquitted at a criminal trial of murder, who was alleged to have administered large and inappropriate doses of morphine resulting in patient deaths. One Student Law Office bar student drafted submissions on whether the Human Rights Act pertains to GPs. The barrister used his written submissions in this respect almost verbatim.
We instructed a barrister for the inquest, Oliver Longstaff of Parklane Plowden. The students assisted the barrister with the inquest every day. We represented one family, and the barrister carried out all of the work for the Student Law Office on a pro bono basis. The coroner found, inter alia, that the administration of morphine in our client's parent's case was not clinically justified and more than minimally contributed to his death.
