One strand of the Pro Bono offering from the Bristol Law School is the Elderlaw team of students, who are focussed on matters relating to Wills, Probate and Powers of Attorney.
This year has seen the team participating in “Make A Will Week”, an annual initiative run by the Law Society.
The Elderlaw team of 8 students ran a Wills service from the Citizens Advice Bureau in Fairfax Street in Bristol City Centre, as well as at Paul’s Place Charity in Coalpit Heath.
Students met clients, took instructions, drafted Wills and finalised the arrangements and paper work.
Student lead, Brooke Lewis said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to people and also to put into practice our knowledge”.
In addition to making Wills, the team has also assisted clients of Paul’s Place in making Lasting Powers of Attorney, which can include provision for relatives to make decisions about care home issues. This has followed on from previous sessions run at the Disability Charity’s premises in Coalpit Heath, where the team put on a Q and A session about making a Will.
As well as this client facing activity, the Elderlaw team has produced a series of leaflets, podcasts and posters about matters surrounding Wills and Probate, launched a website and run a blog.
Marcus Keppel-Palmer (Director of Pro Bono) said:
“I am very proud of the hard work of these students, and am most impressed by the professional way they have dealt with difficult topics with the clients. So many people want to have help from the team that we will be running another session at the CAB in the autumn”.