LVFA Scholarship

Lawyers Volunteering for the Arts began life in 2010 when a small group of interested law firms formed a working group to try and address the legal needs of low income arts organisations across England and Wales. Since 2012, a pro bono referral initiative has seen firms assist arts groups across the country on a wide range of legal issues.

This scholarship will enable a Queen Mary law student to support the LVFA initiative whilst gaining practical experience of the pro bono advice sector and financial support.

The recipient of the LVFA scholarship will be awarded £1,894, paid in two instalments. In return for the scholarship the recipient will be expected to support the initiative's pro bono email referral scheme. This bursary may be held alongside other bursaries, scholarships and award packages.

The recipient of the LVFA Scholarship will undertake a total 3 hours of work per week, over 48 weeks from February 2024 to January 2025, around their study and work commitments.

Responsibilities will include:

• Checking the LVFA scheme’s email account to review and assess any requests, liaising with member law firms to find pro bono legal help where requests are eligible (this can be done remotely, usually in small blocks of 15-30 minutes spread across the week)
• Maintaining accurate records of referrals for monitoring impact of the LVFA programme
• Creating reports for the LVFA executive committee.

Payment of the second instalment will be subject to the following:

• The recipient completing all the tasks outlined by the LVFA to a satisfactory standard
• The recipient providing regular updates to an identifiable person working on the LVFA project.

The recipient will be able to specify a two week period where they will not undertake any work due to examinations.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications for the LVFA Scholarship are open to all LLB students within the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London,  apart from final year students (due to the work extending beyond their expected graduation), and students on the LLB Law in Practice year in industry.

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be assessed on their application and invited to interview with Debevoise & Plimpton.