Jude is a second year LLB Law student who volunteers with the Royal Holloway Legal Advice Centre (LAC), gaining hands-on experience that has strengthened both his legal skills and confidence.
Through his work with real clients and under professional supervision, Jude has developed a deeper understand of how law operates in practice.
What kind of cases have you worked on?
- Family law: including CMS payments, divorce settlements, lump sums, matrimonial home, assets, parental responsibility etc.
- Personal injury: including small injury claims, slips/falls, employer liability.
- Contract law: including disputes between two private contractors, friends contracting together, PLCs, Self-employed, employed, small claims, high court claims.
- Social housing: council payments, rent, accommodation issues, being prevented from accessing the student accommodation/council house, benefits.
What have you learned from working in the Legal Advice Centre?
“Working in the Legal Advice Centre has taught me the importance of client trust, evidence, and professional responsibility, and it has strengthened my interest in Family Law. I have learned that legal work is not only about listening to a client’s account, but about understanding how the law relies on proof, especially where a matter risks becoming a “your word against mine” scenario.
Through my experience, I have developed a stronger appreciation of how evidence builds a claim, including photographs, video footage, written accounts, receipts, and eyewitness statements, and why records from the date of an incident are often critical.
Finally, I have learned that the LAC requires volunteers to follow an ethical and structured approach even in sensitive matters, balancing empathy with objectivity to pursue a case properly. For example, many contracts are very similar; families, on the other hand, are not.”
Why would you recommend studying at Royal Holloway and working in the Legal Advice Centre to applicants?
“Events such as the Volunteering Festival show how engaged and collaborative the university community is, and how many opportunities there are to connect with like-minded students through practical projects and clinics.
Working in the LAC develops the skills that applicants genuinely need for legal practice. It strengthens your communication, oral advocacy, and confidence when speaking about law, especially when explaining issues such as client trust, burden of proof, and the importance of evidence. It also improves your work ethic, as you learn to stay on task, respond to emails promptly, and complete work to a high standard.
The lead member of the LAC, Thanh, is an incredible mentor who pushes students to improve. She has personally pushed me to lengths I did not think possible, and she has always given me honest feedback rather than a “soft lie” when something is not completed correctly. This is crucial, because it reflects what the legal world is truly like.
The LAC is also a major reason students choose Royal Holloway, as it provides qualifying work experience on campus and helps students become more employable.”
