Request for Ad Hoc Volunteers - Bar Pro Bono Unit

Two volunteers needed to help with updating the organisation's contact database for distributing the Annual Review. This involves checking and inputting data into the database (brief training will be given on this). Period of volunteering is 9.30 – 16.30 (with an hour for lunch and tea breaks) on March 2010.

Please only apply if you

• Are good at following instructions
• Have excellent attention to detail
• Take pride in your work
• Can concentrate on repetitive tasks

To apply please send a copy of your CV to natalia@barprobono.org.uk

Volunteers Needed for Newham Monitoring Project

NMP is an independent community-based anti-racist organisation, set up in 1980. They are based in the east London borough of Newham in England. NMP works with members of the black community suffering racial discrimination / violence, police misconduct and civil rights issues. They monitor the response of statutory organisations - such as the police, the council and housing services - to the black community, in order to advocate for fair treatment and access to justice where this is not being met.

Their services include:

• A casework service providing advice, support, advocacy and access to specialist legal assistance for individuals and families
• A free 24-hour emergency helpline for members of the black community in east London facing racial attacks or policing issues
• Community outreach and educational projects such as know-your-rights workshops in relation to police 'Stop and Search' powers
• Campaign work around issues arising from our cases and/or pertinent to the black community, such as the impact of anti-terrorism policing measures.

Volunteers are sought to attend NMP’s next Emergency Service training session to then become volunteers for the 24 hour emergency helpline. This is done remotely through a service that allows your number to be connected to the main line that individuals can call and seek advice. You are asked to commit to covering one or two shifts a month from your own home. You are provided with a handbook covering many of the issues of law and procedure that may crop up. These will be discussed and covered in this training.

The training session will deal with a variety of scenarios that volunteers may encounter whilst covering the service and, therefore, is extremely important for new/existing volunteers. Volunteers will also learn how to deal with difficult situations such as racial harassment and policing issues more effectively.

Time: 10am to 4pm

Date: Saturday 13th March 2010

Venue: Harold Road Centre, 170 Harold Road, Upton Park, London E13 0SE.

Apply for a summer research internship with JUSTICE

The scheme will run from June to September 2010 and interns should be able to commit to at least one month of working four days a week in our London office. For more details and how to apply click here. The deadline for applications is Friday 7 May 2010. Please note that interns undertake in-depth legal research in a particular area of JUSTICE's work. For this reason only applications from law graduates will be accepted. This includes people who expect to have completed a law degree or conversion course by the time they start their internship.

JUSTICE - Human Rights and Criminal Justice Conference

JUSTICE Student Human Rights Network will be holding the third annual conference on Saturday 27 March 2010 from 10am - 5pm at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London, EC4Y 1HT.

This conference for law students, trainee solicitors and pupil barristers will discuss topical issues in the human rights and criminal justice field. Speakers include Andrew Hall QC of Doughty Street Chambers - widely regarded as a leader in his field of crime with a strong emphasis on civil liberties - and Dan Carey, a solicitor at Public Interest Lawyers and winner of the Peter Duffy Award at the Liberty/JUSTICE Human Rights Awards ceremony 2009.

Tickets for the conference will be £10 (£5 for JUSTICE members). For further information please email jshrn@justice.org.uk

The Access to Justice Foundation Student Competition

The Access to Justice Foundation is a cross-profession initiative involving the three branches of the legal profession, together with the voluntary sector. It acts in the public interest to bring additional resources to support free (pro bono) legal help to those in need. The Foundation and LawWorks are now inviting law students to enter their competition by submitting an article between 500 and 1000 words entitled: “Pro Bono Costs Orders: levelling the playing field?”

The article should be aimed at the legal profession, as the winning entry will be published. In addition to discussing the extent that Pro Bono Costs level the playing field for pro bono assisted parties, the writer may wish to comment on the role of pro bono legal help, and the importance of the Foundation in bringing additional funding.

The winner will receive the inaugural The Access Justice Foundation Student Prize, which will be presented by HM Attorney General at the student awards at the House of Lords. They will also receive £300 of book vouchers kindly donated by LexisNexis to be spent on books from their range.

Please submit your article in Word or PDF format to competition@atjf.org.uk by the deadline of 9am, 1st March 2010. Undergraduate and postgraduate law students may apply, including LPC and BVC students. The competition will be judged by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation chaired by former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC.

if you have any further queries please direct them to competition@atjf.org.uk. For more information about The Access to Justice Foundation and Pro Bono Costs visit www.accesstojusticefoundation.org.uk

Amicus Death Penalty Trial Event on the 2nd March (Lord Woolf presiding)

The event is a mock trial in which the penalty itself is to be indicted for perverting the course of justice. The trial will be presided over by Lord Woolf and Geoffrey Robertson QC, and advocated by 6 King's Bench Walk. Challenging issues such as innocence, racial disparity and deterrence, will be considered through examination of leading experts in the field. The calibre of the witnesses on both sides attests to our intention to present a serious and considered examination of the issues surrounding the death penalty. For more information on the event, please click here.

£1000 Grant available for Innovative Community Project

Are you interested in setting up a small project, piece of research or other innovative partnership with a local community organisation? Well here is your chance to win a grant of £1000 to start or further a partnership with a community organisation in London! The Award is given out by the Campus Community Partnership Foundation. The deadline for applications is 1st March. Further information on how to apply and the rules and guidelines can be found here: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/intranet/CareersAndVacancies/volunteerCentre/InfoForCurrentStudents/CampusCommunityPartnershipFoundation/Home.aspx