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Casework volunteering

Casework Volunteers are an integral part of the Casework process at Advocate. Since March 2020, Advocate has been running a very successful remote volunteering programme.

Remote Volunteering

We have remote volunteers logging on from home to help our Casework team every day. As part of our Academic Year Programme, our volunteers commit to one day a week for four months. We also have a Summer Volunteering programme, which lasts for one month between June and August and is a commitment of four days a week.

Many of our volunteers are studying law, and often go on to begin a career at Advocate or use the experience to secure a pupillage. Volunteering as part of our team can be a rewarding, valuable and informative experience because:

You will have the opportunity to be exposed to all areas of law.
You will assist and support the Casework Team from the initial request for assistance, to the point of allocating cases to a barrister.
Some of your tasks will include drafting case summaries using the case papers provided by individuals who need legal assistance; preparing court-standard bundles and contacting chambers to help us place cases.
We work closely with the Bar, and you will gain a strong understanding of the workings of the Bar as a profession.

"All the staff have been so welcoming and I have made such wonderful professional working relationships which I will treasure. I would highly recommend volunteering with Advocate for anyone wishing to pursue a legal career and have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of a friendly and supportive team!”

Emma Llanwarne Law Student, NALP L3 Paralegal and Casework Volunteer
for Advocate Feb – June 2019

Recruitment

We run three Casework Volunteer Programmes a year:

Academic Year 1: one day a week from October to February. Recruitment opens in August.
Academic Year 2: one day a week from February to June. Recruitment opens at the end of November.
Summer Volunteering: four days a week for one month in either June, July, August or September. Recruitment opens in April. (Recruitment for Summer 2022 is now closed).

When recruitment opens, find all the information on how to apply here.

Attendance

Volunteering takes place over zoom while we all work remotely, with regular training sessions and catch-ups with an assigned caseworker.

Expenses

Advocate is not currently providing expenses but will do when we are all back in the office. We cover a proportion of your travel expenses each week and up to £5 each day for incidental expenses such as lunch.