MP Uma Kumaran Champions Access to Justice at UCL's Integrated Legal Advice Clinic

The visit was arranged as part of the wider ‘Take your MP to Work’ campaign coordinated by Young Legal Aid Lawyers, The Legal Aid Practitioners Group and Migrants Organise. The campaign aims to bring attention to the transformative impact of access to legal advice and representation for members of the community.  

During the visit, a UCL iLAC client shared with the Uma Kumaran MP her experiences working with UCL iLAC to move out of overcrowded accommodation and understanding her entitlements, citing the importance of the accessibility of iLAC and their support in helping her to understand the law.  

The team shared with Uma Kumaran MP the wider challenges faced by many iLAC clients, in particular challenges around services becoming increasingly digital and more difficult to access, the long wait to receive important legal decisions, and the increasing scarcity of available legal advice.  

UCL Laws student, Amrita Kolotia-Tak also raised the difficulties law students and aspiring solicitors face in accessing careers in social welfare law citing a lack of available funding and a clear route to qualification.  

Professor Eloise Scotford, Dean of UCL Faculty of Laws, commented: ‘It was a pleasure to host Uma Kumaran MP at UCL's sector-leading Integrated Legal Advice Clinic in Stratford. UCL Laws is hugely proud of our Centre for Access to Justice and the work it does to serve legal needs in the community, to educate future lawyers with key skills in social welfare law, and to generate impactful research to inform policy on legal aid issues. After our very engaged discussion around the unmet legal needs facing the community in Newham and Stratford, we look forward to working in partnership with our local MP to contribute to meaningful and much-needed change around legal services in the community.’ 

Speaking of the visit Uma Kumaran MP has said, ‘access to legal advice can be life-changing, but too often I’m contacted by residents with nowhere to turn for help. UCL’s Centre for Access to Justice in Stratford is leading the way providing vital support to those who need it most. I met their dedicated team, and heard about the tough realities they help local people with a reminder of why access to legal aid must improve.’