Law students for rent

Student solicitors will be briefing student barristers at the College of Law in London this autumn to take on cases before the London Rent Assessment Panel (LRAP) for no fee.

Students will be defending tenants against landlords (or vice versa).

The college said this will be the first time that student barristers and solicitors have been used in tandem in pro bono work.

If successful, students could be appearing nationwide before rent assessment panels, which deal with some 55,000 cases a year.

The work will be supervised by practising lawyers.

Barrister students have been taking part since last November in a pilot tribunal representation scheme, which involves helping with advice and representation at the LRAP's weekly drop-in centre, where the students have an office.

The LRAP approached the college about the project because of the delay caused by individuals representing themselves at hearings.

Students have so far seen around 31 clients and participated in 11 hearings.

Michael Ross, operations director of the rent assessment panels, said: 'The feedback we have had about the pilot project from members and clients has been very positive.

We now wish to help the college to expand the scheme to other rent assessment panels and to bring in more partners on a structured basis.'

Professor Richard Grimes, director of the college's pro bono services, said: 'The determination of cases often calls for substantial fact management within a relatively narrow field of expertise, which is ideal for solicitor students.'