You might have some questions for us. We've outlined some frequently asked questions (FAQs) and their answers, so you might find what you're looking for with ease.
If you do not find the answer to your question, please contact us at lawclinic@stmarys.ac.uk.
The Law Clinic at St Mary’s University provides free legal advice in specific areas of law to individuals who do not qualify for legal aid and are unable to afford legal fees.
To request free legal advice from St Mary’s University, please complete this form. We need this information to assess if your query falls within our service scope. Alternatively, you can contact us by email at charley.dugdale@stmarys.ac.uk. We strive to respond within two business working days of your initial contact, though delays may occur due to high demand.
Upon receiving your enquiry, we first determine if it aligns with our service offerings. If it does, either trained Student Advisers or staff members from St Mary’s University will collect details about your case via Zoom or telephone. Please note, that you will not receive legal advice during this initial interaction. Your information is subsequently reviewed by a qualified solicitor, to decide if we can assist you. We will then either confirm your appointment or direct you to alternative sources of assistance.
During your advice session, trained law students may observe or assist the volunteer lawyer. You will receive verbal advice based on the information you have provided. Please be aware that we are unable to handle large volumes of documents or provide ongoing case support or representation.
A personal injury claim is a claim for compensation for a physical injury, or a psychological injury/condition that has been caused through the fault or negligence of someone else. In cases where an accident results in death, there may also be a fatal accident claim.
You can claim for your actual injuries, the pain and suffering experienced, and for the impact on different aspects of your work and social life. Additionally, consideration will be given to how your injuries might affect your future life. Specialist medical reports will often be obtained.
The Legal Clinic is part of St Mary’s University. We process the following personal data about you:
- your name, age, and contact information
- information you provide us about your case, which may include special category information such as your gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and marriage, pregnancy, and/or maternity status
- your feedback on your experience of the Legal Clinic.
We obtain data from you directly, when you initially approach our service, by phone, email, or other written correspondence. If we accept your case, we obtain further data from you at the appointment between you and the Legal Clinic team, including the volunteer lawyer or caseworker and the student adviser.
We hold the information about you securely on our systems, using password protection and encryption, and any other appropriate practical and technical measures in accordance with our Data Protection Policy.
We keep your data while we are working on your case, and archive it for six years afterwards.
We process personal data about you for the following reasons:
- to respond to your initial enquiry and tell you whether we can help you
- to provide our services to you, including providing free legal advice.
We are required to identify our legal basis for processing your personal data, as follows:
- contract with the individual
- legitimate interests
- in relation to special category data, your express consent.
You have rights as a Data Subject. You can see more information about those rights on our Data Protection Policy.
To contact the St Mary’s University Data Protection Officer and University Secretary, please email them at compliance@stmarys.ac.uk.
St Mary’s University website does not capture or store personally identifiable information (PII) or any personal data (as defined under GDPR), except where users voluntarily choose to provide personal details (for example on one of our online forms).
We obtain personal information from you when you approach our service. Our privacy notice explains how this is processed.
Privacy Disclaimer
St Mary's School of Law requires specific details about your case, which include sensitive personal data, to assess our ability to assist you and to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. We handle your data with the utmost security and use it solely for these evaluation purposes. We do not sell, rent, or lease your information to third parties. All data is securely stored. If you choose not to provide the required information, unfortunately, we will not be able to assist you. Without these details, we cannot perform the necessary checks to determine the suitability of your case for our services. For further information on how we process your personal information, please consult the St Mary's University privacy notice