Why you should choose Street Law

Neil Brannigan, a second-year law student at the University of Stirling explains why Street Law is a fantastic outreach opportunity to become involved with while studying law.

With graduate employers demanding a high skill set, many students are looking to grow their experiences beyond university. Extracurricular activities are often the best way to develop these skills but are often hard to fit in around university. Street Law is an excellent scheme to develop your skills in a unique and different way and can be organised around university.

One of the biggest things I've noticed about participating in Street Law is that everyone from lecturers, students, or practicing solicitors want to know more about it. I believe this is because of how different Street Law is compared to other opportunities available to students and is something that can make a genuine impact on others.

Street Law focuses on making lessons interactive and entertaining, and trainers are encouraged to not fill lessons with detailed legal knowledge. The training weekend is extremely helpful for setting up your lessons and putting your mind at ease. There is a great emphasis on team building and I personally met several fellow trainers at the weekend who I'm still in contact with.

The biggest attraction of Street Law for myself was that secondary schools rarely teach law courses and students have little idea about the legal sector. The program is one I certainly would have been interested in while I was at school, and to provide this through Street Law is a privilege.

Once you begin teaching in a school of your choice, you will be usually teaching a one hour lesson each week. As such, the programme works excellently around university and work, as you can choose a local school to you on a day most suited to your needs. 

Street Law is an unmissable opportunity for students looking to develop themselves and grow their experiences. It is also a chance to meet people who may otherwise be uninterested in a legal career, and watching this interest grow can be very rewarding.