In February 2025, Solent Law Clinic launched in Southampton. An ambitious new community project pioneered by Southampton Solent University and national law firm, Dutton Gregory Solicitors, this free initiative serves three important purposes.
In the first instance, it provides access to legal advice to those who need it the most. Second, it addresses – and hopefully reduces – pressure on existing services. Lastly, it helps the sector by identifying lawyers of the future while giving those emerging professionals authentic experiences with real clients and cases.
As Head of Family Law at Dutton Gregory, and a member of Solent University’s alumni community, I readily jumped at the opportunity to bring Solent Law Clinic to life. It’s one of the many ways we’ve worked with Solent Law School in recent years, aligning with the University’s practice-led approach to learning and teaching.
Changes to Legal Aid in April 2013, introduced by the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act, decimated the legal landscape. Overnight, the number of people that were able to access Legal Aid dramatically reduced. It has left people all over the country unable to obtain legal advice and assistance; Solent Law Clinic is our way to help mitigate that loss.
In just the first three months, the Clinic served more than 100 clients through free appointments that enabled students to gain experience in client-facing environments. Supported by the team at Dutton Gregory alongside Solent’s Course Leader for Law, Brad Kershaw the requirements of delivering an initiative like this – a space to operate, experts to staff it, effective administrative support – is covered by the high-quality resources available at universities and underpinned by unparalleled knowledge of the law firms who offer their services out.
In addition to giving the community access to free legal advice in an accessible environment – Solent University’s city-centre campus – the clinic also gives students the opportunity to lead real client meetings and undertake legal work. Inevitably, this will produce better quality graduates and future lawyers; ones who have real case experience and first-hand knowledge of the sensitivities and nuances of practicing law. From a business perspective, collaborations like these also allow us to talent spot; to look at recruiting the best and brightest to join Dutton Gregory.
The collaboration between businesses and educational establishments is a mutually beneficial one, and from working with local colleges and universities we have been able to work with some of the best minds. Minds who will help shape the future of the legal industry and make Dutton Gregory the place where the best want to work. The University also invited us to run a workshop with students to look at what they want from a future employer and law firm, giving us valuable insight, and allowing us to build a law firm where they want to be.
One of the best legacies you can leave behind is helping train and support the next generation in your industry. As a graduate of Southampton Solent University, I have remained in contact with the School of Law, providing guest lectures, employability talks, and mock trainee interviews. I’m fortunate that Dutton Gregory has always been passionate about finding ways to provide students with experiences that complement their learning, meaning our team is readily encouraged to collaborate meaningfully.
My hope is that the students I work with now surpass anything I will achieve in my career. I remember hearing a quote once, that you want to teach the next generation so they can learn a little bit faster and a little bit more, so everything becomes much better. Over the next few years, I’m looking forward to seeing not just the growth of Solent Law Clinic – as it hopefully expands and supports more people – but also our collaboration with the University. Why? So that everyone can have access to legal support – and we can make the legal industry the best it can be.
Jonathan Whettingsteel is Head of Family at Dutton Gregory Solicitors
