JGLS Legal Aid Clinic wins 2017 Herbert Smith Community Engagement award

The Legal Aid Clinic of Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) has won the 2017 Herbert Smith Freehills’ Community Engagement Award for Community Investment through Legal Work.

The award is presented annually as part of the efforts by Herbert Smith Freehills to recognise social projects led by Indian law students and to support those creating a positive impact in their communities. The second edition of the Community awards had invited entries in two categories i.e. Community Investment Through Legal Work and Community Contribution Through Volunteering (non-legal work).

The Community Investment Through Legal Work award aims at identifying law students who are working to bring sustainable social impact in the community by using their legal knowledge. Innovation and effective impact on the community are among the factors taken into consideration in for determining the awardees.

This year’s winner, the Legal Aid Clinic at JGLS, was established in 2009 with the help of Professor Ajay Pandey. The Clinic has been spearheading various programmes related to access to education, health, strengthening access to information and creating awareness through legal awareness camps. The student run initiative offers legal counselling services, awareness building sessions and assistance in filing PILs. They will also receive a £2,000 cash prize as part of the award.

A team of four lawyers from the firm, including Partner and member of India Executive Group, Nicola Yeomans, Head of Middle East, Zubair Mir, Lawyer and NLSIU grad Dheer Bhatnagar, and Chairman of the firm’s India Practice, Chris Parsons decided the winners.

Shortlisted candidates were announced on August 14. Apart from the Legal Aid Clinic of JGLS, the other shortlisted candidates were Legal Services Clinic of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore and Antashchetana of Chanakya National Law University Patna.

For the Community Contribution Through Volunteering award, the shortlisted candidates this year are Law School 101 (NALSAR, Hyderabad), Kaalitales Project (Brown n Proud) and PULER (NLIU, Bhopal).

The Award Ceremony will be held on 7th September, 2017 at New Delhi.

Watch the video prepared by student members of the Legal Aid Clinic (JGLS) here.