Westminster’s Windrush Justice Clinic shortlisted for award in LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards

The LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Awards celebrate the best pro bono activities which are undertaken by Law students and Law schools, highlighting the positive impact on those assisted. The Access to Justice Foundation award recognises an educational body or student making a significant contribution to access to justice.

The Windrush Justice Clinic is included in the shortlist for both awards. Winners will be announced at a dedicated ceremony at the House of Lords on 4 May with the Attorney General, the Rt Hon. Suella Braverman QC MP.

The Windrush Justice Clinic take a specialist approach that seeks to recompense applicants justly, offering advice, assistance, casework and representation as appropriate. Where specialist immigration advice or legal representation is needed, the Clinic can refer clients to a specialist within their network.

The Clinic is a collaborative partnership between the University of Westminster Legal Advice Clinic, London South Bank University Legal Advice Clinic, King’s Legal Clinic, North Kensington Law Centre, Southwark Law Centre and community groups Claudia Jones Organisation, The Windrush Compensation Project and The Jigsaw House Society.

Established in April 2019, The Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up by the UK Government to provide victims of the Windrush scandal with compensation for their suffering. Since the Government first apologised two years ago for the treatment that people were subjected to, more than 12,000 people have received documentation from the Home Office confirming that they are living in the UK legally.  

Applicants must provide extensive and complex documentary evidence, often going back decades, providing proof for their losses. The application form is over 40 pages long, requires detailed calculations, supporting evidence and information about the non-financial impact of the hostile environment policy on claimants.

The University Legal Advice Clinics are on the frontline of The Windrush Justice Clinic to offer initial assistance and all clients are assessed to decide what level of help they need. The clinics are run by Law students, solicitors, barristers and accredited caseworkers.

The WJC partners have already supported clients to obtain compensation awards totalling £1,151,500. Since launching in November 2020, the University of Westminster Legal Advice Clinic has assisted 21 clients with their compensation claims and advised five clients on their Windrush status under immigration law. Three clients have received a total of £180,000 in compensation so far while another ten are either awaiting offers or working on gathering evidence to support their claim. Eight of the clients were provided with initial advice and assistance and then referred on to one of the specialist WJC partners for ongoing representation.

A University of Westminster WJC client said: “I am very happy with the service I received regarding the help I much needed with my Windrush compensation, the advice was fantastic, and the communication was always outstanding.”

Talking about the award shortlisting, Anna Steiner, Senior Lecturer and Windrush Project Leader, said: “I am delighted that the Windrush Justice Clinic has been shortlisted for the best new Pro Bono Activity and for the Access to Justice Foundation Award. I would like to acknowledge all the hard work of our students as well as all of the Windrush Justice Clinic partners and supporters, many of whom are volunteers, in getting WJC to where it is today.  Most importantly, I would like to acknowledge and celebrate all the WJC clients who have worked and are working with us to obtain compensation awards that go a small way towards achieving some form of justice for them.”

Find out more about the project on the Windrush Justice Clinic’s website.