Exeter Fellow and student help launch free legal assistance

During National Pro Bono Week (9th – 13th November), the Oxford Law Faculty is launching Oxford Legal Assistance (OLA). Professor Sandra Fredman, Fellow of Exeter College, and Daniel Cashman (2008, Jurisprudence) both sit on the executive committee of OLA and have been heavily involved in the development of the programme.

OLA is the first pro bono programme at Oxford open to both undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as the University’s first programme involving practical legal work for the benefit of clients in Oxford. Students will be trained to take the first draft of instructions for fixed-fee legal aid cases, allowing solicitors to spend more time on aspects of the case which require expertise in the area of law concerned. OLA provides an exciting and rewarding opportunity for all involved and practically demonstrates the University’s commitment to helping the local community.

Dan told the Oxford Mail: “The programme is pioneering and I’m very proud to be a part of it. “I see every lawyer as having an obligation to give something back to the community in which they work.”