Ayesha Sohanpal, second year LLB student at UCL Laws, has authored a blog post for the UCL Centre for Access to Justice blog entitled ‘Reflections on the relationship between the law and disadvantaged sectors of society’.

Ayesha is reflecting on her participation in the UCL Laws’ induction module, “Laws’ Connections”. The Laws’ Connections module is taught through case studies, where students engage with the way that the legal system and legal norms interact with a social issue – such as homelessness or climate change.

Case studies allow students to explore necessary introductory material on basic legal structures and legal concepts – which can initially seem a little abstract to new students - as well as more advanced legal concepts and ideas in an accessible and compelling way.

In the blog post, Ayesha describes why she chose homelessness as her case study; how it developed her understanding of access to justice issues faced by marginalised groups; and reflects on the lessons learned in how law is implemented:

“As a law student with aspirations to enter the legal profession, this program also gave cause to reflect upon the role of both practitioners and students in narrowing the gap between the law’s stated ideals and the reality of its implementation.”

Ayesha goes on to discuss how through Laws’ Connections, she came to realise that law students are key participants in widening access to justice not just in their future careers, but also through pro bono opportunities; and why legal education is so important.

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