TLC at the Ella Conference

Written by Charlie Smith (He/They) & Hamish Duncan (He/They)

Communications Officer & Operations Officer

In September the CEO and founder of the Trans Legal Clinic, Olivia-Campbell Cavendish, spoke at the inaugural European LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association (Ella) Conference on the vital role played by pro bono law firms in the fight for trans rights. 

Ella is a pan-European network of LGBTQ+ lawyers’ associations, firms, and individuals, providing a space for legal professionals to exchange knowledge and discuss common challenges encountered when advocating for equality and inclusion. 

The conference brought together LGBTQ+ lawyers, students, judges and academics from over a dozen European countries. Themes covered included strategic litigation, employment discrimination, family law, immigration, and human rights. 

As a panellist on the conference’s pro bono panel, Olivia spoke on the process of founding the Trans Legal Clinic to address the lack of legal access and support experienced by the trans community in the UK. In particular, she outlined the mechanisms by which pro bono law firms can support organisations Trans Legal Clinic, from providing supervising solicitors for casework and assisting with strategic litigation to contributing vital funds. 

The Trans Legal Clinic is on the frontline of trans rights in the UK, providing direct legal support to vulnerable trans and non-binary people across four key areas of unmet legal need: gender recognition, gender-based violence, discrimination, and housing. In so doing, the Clinic provides access to justice for trans and non-binary people, who are historically over-policed and under-served by the UK’s legal system. 

In additional to providing frontline legal services, the Trans Legal Clinic also widens access to the legal profession for its volunteers, many of whom are trans and come from non-legal backgrounds. The Clinic provides its volunteers with CPD-accredited casework training, allowing them to gain vital experience carrying out legal casework under the expert guidance of supervising solicitors from pro-bono law firms. 

If your firm offers pro-bono legal services and you are interested in collaborating with the Trans Legal Clinic, please register your interest here: https://www.translegalclinic.com/contact-us