Law students in their final year of studies have paired up with practising lawyers to offer advice on civil claims of up to $20,000, as well as criminal, traffic and family matters – all free to the public.
The student-led initiative, the Cayman Islands Legal Assistance Clinic, is a partnership between the Truman Bodden Law School, Judicial Administration, the Cayman Islands Legal Advisory Council and the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association.
The students will also be able to advise on landlord-tenant issues, employment, immigration and human rights.
“The advice is being given by students who are currently completing their [Professional Practice Course] and are studying to sit their bar exams,” Andrew Perkins, a lecturer at the Truman Bodden Law School, told the Compass. “Which means they know the law more than anyone right now because it is still fresh in their minds.”
Perkins and former prosecutor Darlene Oko, the project’s facilitators, were assigned the task of bringing it to fruition by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, QC, who is set to retire later this year.
“It’s a first of its kind for Cayman, and we expect it to be a tremendous benefit for the community because it is accessible to everyone from the zillionaires to the paupers and everyone in between,” Oko told the Compass.
To draw inspiration for the clinic Oko and Perkins said they looked around the Caribbean, Canada and the UK and “took a little bit of the best from each section”.
“The end result is that we have a perfectly unique model for Cayman that we believe will fit the needs of the community and students alike,” said Oko.
The clinic will be open one evening a month in the former Scotia Bank building in George Town. To receive advice, people must make appointments in advance and provide details about their questions.
“The students then research the topic, and with the help of our friends from CILPA, they draft responses, letters of engagement,” said Perkins, who added that a bonus for the students is the chance to make lasting partnerships with influential lawyers.
“These students will be getting ready to do their articles in the near future, and when they do go to the interview, they may very well see familiar faces of lawyers who they’ve worked with at the clinic,” he said. “Additionally, our students have worked so hard and learned so much that this is now a wonderful opportunity for them to put those skills into practice.”
Anyone looking to book an appointment at the clinic should email [email protected] or call 244-3798.
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