SIMMONS JOINS UCL AND COLLEGE OF LAW IN PRO BONO COURSE

City firm Simmons & Simmons has teamed up with London's University College (UCL) and the College of Law to launch an innovative undergraduate course.UCL students will be supervised by Simmons solicitors in interviewing and providing real advice on a range of topics to pro bono clients.The College of Law's pro bono administrator Richard Grimes will find the clients for the scheme, and give UCL students use of the College's legal advice suite for meetings.The three organisations' co-operation is unique, according to Richard de Friend, director of the College of Law's London branch, who said he thought it was the first time a City law firm has been engaged in a university course.After meeting the clients, UCL students will discuss with the Simmons solicitors what advice they should give.

When the letters of advice - drafted by the students - are ready, they will be sent out on UCL paper, signed off by the Simmons solicitor.UCL has piloted the scheme, and its law faculty has approved its use as an undergraduate course in clinical legal education from September, when ten pairs of students will take the course.

UCL course administrator June Chapman said undergraduates were keen to enrol.

The advice needed will range from employment issues, through landlord and tenant, to debt problems.Rodney Austin, a UCL academic who will supervise scheme, said that eventually such courses could become more niche, using other firms and advice providers to provide more specialist advice to clients.Mr Austin said that, although the students would not be marked by the Simmons lawyers, they would provide UCL with reports.

He added: 'Inevitably in assessing overall performance the examiners will have a regard to the reports.'Richard Dyton, director of pro bono and a litigation partner at Simmons, said: 'This scheme provides legal advice to those who cannot afford it, invaluable City experience to young law students, and gives Simmons a useful interface with UCL and the College of Law.'Jeremy Fleming