RISING legal stars from the University of Chester who volunteer to help others have won a national award.

They have been recognised for the Best Contribution by a Team of Students in the 2023 LawWorks and Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards.

The awards celebrate the best pro bono activities - legal advice or representation provided free of charge in the public interest - undertaken by Law students and Law Schools from across the UK.

The Chester Law students were presented with the award at a ceremony at the House of Commons with the Attorney General, after being shortlisted for the Immigration Project.

Through this initiative, students work with Eastgate Chambers, a firm committed to improving the lives of refugees.

Students from the university were nominated in three of the five awards categories and alongside the win, were highly commended by the judges for the Best New Pro Bono Activity.

The commendation celebrated partnership work with Pregnant Then Screwed, a charity that seeks to tackle the root causes of maternity discrimination and promote the rights of women.

The University of Chester Law School operates several student-run community outreach projects as part of the Chester Community Law Project (CCLP), each led by student project managers and operated by student volunteers from the undergraduate Law degree.

The CCLP provides free guidance on a variety of legal topics and runs initiatives tailored to meet the needs of diverse communities within Chester and beyond.

Annabel Priest, who is one of the initiative’s student project managers and was also nominated for the best contribution by an individual student award, said: “The success of this project has pivoted on the willingness of others to help those most in need."

Bradley Bennett, fellow Student project manager, said: “To win Best Contribution by a Team of Students at the 2023 LawWorks and Attorney General's Student Pro Bono Awards, is truly incredible.

“The Immigration Project would not be possible without Simon Clark and Eastgate Chambers; providing the fantastic platform to assist with making a difference to the lives of refugees."