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Director of Pro Bono and Employability, Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University

Director of Pro Bono and Employability; Reader in Law; Higher Education Academy (HEA) National Teaching Fellow 2011; Head of Pro Bono Unit; Director of Cardiff Law School Innocence Project

With a keen interest in Clinical Legal Education, Julie heads the Cardiff Law School Pro Bono “Law in the Real World” schemes, including the Cardiff Law School Innocence Project, an educational venture teaming law students with local criminal law practitioners to look at cases involving possible miscarriages of justice.

Julie is responsible for the law school’s Pro Bono and Employability activities, and is the driving force behind the Welsh Rugby Union/Cardiff University Legal Advice Scheme. This is the partnership launched in November 2012 between the WRU and the law school’s students to deliver free legal advice to WRU-member rugby clubs throughout Wales, supported by practising lawyers in Cardiff.

Julie was a Director of Riverside Advice, Cardiff’s largest independent advice agency (2005-2012), a member of the Advisory Board for the Personal Support Unit in Cardiff (2010-2012) and is a founding trustee of Reaching Justice Wales, the Welsh Access to Justice Foundation trust (www.reachingjusticewales.org.uk). She is now on the Advisory Group of the Centre for Criminal Appeals and for FACT (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers), and on the Steering Group of Law Works Cymru. Julie is a regular contributor to The Justice Gap, where she writes the Diary of a UK Innocence Project blog.

Following her LL.B. at Bristol University, Julie qualified as a solicitor in 1989 and specialised in conveyancing and family matters at David W Harris & Co, solicitors. She also advised on housing, legal aid and welfare benefits at the Bridgend Community Advice Centre. Since 1993, Julie has at various times taught Property Law and Practice/Conveyancing, Family Law, and Probate, was chair of the Legal Skills Committee on the Legal Practice Course, teaching the various legal skills of writing, drafting, practical legal research, and interviewing and advising. She jointly introduced problem-based learning into the LPC at Cardiff, and was module leader for the Law of Succession on the undergraduate scheme of study.

Julie has been an external examiner for the Graduate Diploma in Law/CPE course at Westminster University, and also taught on the (now Chartered) Institute of Legal Executives (CILEX) vocational courses. She is Co-Chair for England and Wales of the Client Interviewing Competition, www.clientinterviewing.com. She coaches/judges students in interviewing and advising (including to international competition success) and negotiation. In 2006, Julie hosted the International Client Counselling Competition in Cardiff, with 18 countries competing. She is an assessor for the Cardiff University/Bond Solon Expert Witness training programme.

Experience

  • –present
    Reader in Law, Director of Pro Bono and Employability, Cardiff Law School

Education

  • 2011 
    Higher Education Academy, National Teaching Fellow
  • 1989 
    Law Society of England and Wales, Solicitor