Amanda Crutchley, head of pro bono at ULaw, shares her insights on life in criminal defence and the power of pro bono for aspiring lawyers
After 20 years as a criminal defence solicitor, Amanda Crutchley made the move into legal education — combining her passion for advocacy with a commitment to helping the next generation of lawyers find their feet in the profession. Now head of pro bono and supervising solicitor at The University of Law (ULaw), she works closely with students across the country to develop their legal and professional skills through hands-on experience.
In this Q&A, Crutchley reflects on her career at the criminal bar, why pro bono is so important for aspiring lawyers, and how she helps students build confidence and prepare for practice. With ‘Secrets to Success Bristol — with Osborne Clarke, RWK Goodman, Bevan Brittan and ULaw’ just around the corner on Thursday 13 March, her advice is perfectly timed for those looking to launch their legal careers.
1. Can you walk me through your career journey so far, and what attracted you to law?
I undertook a week of work experience at the magistrates’ courts, sitting next to a court clerk on the bench. I was transfixed by proceedings, which highlighted the complexities of human life and tried to achieve a just and productive way forwards for all. What stood out to me was how a skilled advocate could paint a whole picture for the court with language, elicit empathy for someone that didn’t merit it at face value through wonderful advocacy, and could change the course of events through skilled persuasion. After that week, I knew I wanted to be a court advocate.
I worked for 20 years as a criminal defence solicitor, representing cases in the police stations, magistrates’ and crown courts before an opportunity arose to mentor the next generation of lawyers at The University of Law. A role developing students’ skills and confidence combined with pro bono work assisting people achieve access to justice was too exciting an opportunity to miss.
2. You work as head of pro bono & supervising solicitor for ULaw, can you talk to me about this role, and what attracted you to pro bono work?
My remit is to oversee design and delivery of the university’s pro bono programme. Pro bono is invaluable on so many levels; it provides critical advice and assistance to members of the public who would not otherwise access justice but, importantly for our students, it affords them the opportunity to understand the importance of the ethos of access to justice, network with lawyers, expose them to different areas of legal practice, engages them in practical application of their legal skills and learning and helps them gain confidence in their abilities.
Students that engage in pro bono experience the practicality of legal work that often classroom studies can’t provide; clients are complex, ethical issues arise, often legal queries are multi-faceted and sometimes a client needs practical advice in addition to legal advice. The exposure to client work during studies provides students with context to their learning, skill demonstration examples for interviews but also confidence in their future career.
3. Having spent nearly two decades working in criminal defence, what initially attracted you to the world of criminal law?
The first seat in my training contract was in crime. It was like a baptism of fire initially but after a few weeks, I loved the variety and stimulation of the work. No one day was the same and you constantly had to think on your feet and respond to the situation in police stations and the court.
When I attend court visits with students, I often yearn to jump back on my feet and advocate. I help students understand the advocacy skills they are witnessing in court; what is not said is as important as what is said. I take students through how witnesses are carefully questioned and how pages of evidence can be condensed into one single probing question. Any prospective law student should visit a court and observe proceedings. If you get hooked, there will be no going back!
4. What do you think are the most important skills that lawyers working in criminal defence need to possess?
Client care and communication skills are vital. We are helping people often at the most vulnerable point in their life and must represent with sensitivity to this. Criminal lawyers need to analyse evidence and instructions, apply the law and then, importantly, communicate advice and reasoning clearly and concisely.
Confident and practical application of the law is also an essential skill. Decisions taken early on in isolation will have a significant impact on a case months later; as an example, whether a client should or should not answer questions at a police station can sometimes be a determiner of a case outcome.
5. At ULaw Bristol, how do you help law students to build these skills?
Pro Bono engagement provides students with an opportunity to develop an array of highly transferable employability skills that encompass both legal and non-legal skills; problem solving, client care, commercial awareness, professional ethics awareness, time management; the list is vast. When students apply for jobs, academics are almost a given; employers are seeking demonstration of these employability skills and capability. Pro bono is a fantastic and rewarding means of gaining contextual examples to discuss on applications and at interview.
Each University of Law campus has a dedicated pro bono coordinator and programme that will engage students and support them developing skills and reflecting on their development to gain confidence and understand their learning in a wider context. In law clinic work, students can see the application of their studies to a client’s legal issue and with community programmes they can hone their presentation and communication skills.
6. In your opinion, what are the best features of the Bristol campus for ULaw students?
Bristol is a fabulous campus to study at and it has a great energy about it. The size of the campus affords staff the opportunity to really get to know the students, understand their ambitions and support them. We often make suggestions to students about areas of practice or specific firms that we may think would suit their personality and strengths that they had not thought of before. For staff, getting to really know our students, supporting their development and then seeing them thrive in their careers is a wonderful part of the job.
7. Why should aspiring lawyers consider Bristol for their legal education and their budding careers?
Bristol is a thriving and collaborative legal community and many of our students remain in the city for their careers. The University of Law is located in the heart of that community. It has a strong law society, an impactful law centre, an active (and very social!) Junior Lawyers Division and many highly regarded law firms.
Students will be afforded opportunities to network and be a part of this community, whether it is through campus talks, events, court visits and — of course — pro bono assistance in the community. Our local Bristol Community Clinic supports litigants progressing through the Employment Tribunal, the Family Court and also has a local family law clinic supported by local lawyers who not only support the client advice but are also generous in spending time talking to students too about their career journeys and their area of work.
8. What is one piece of advice you would offer to all aspiring lawyers?
Take all opportunities to network and experience different areas of practice; whether that is through court visits, work experience, insight days, or simply talking to those in practice. Obviously, try to undertake some pro bono volunteering — not only is it highly rewarding, but it will also afford you the opportunity to develop many employability skills. You can learn where your strengths and weaknesses are (both invaluable insights), and experience different areas of practice to understand what interests you. At ULaw, we don’t want our students to find “a job” when they leave us, we want them to find a career they will thrive in.
The University of Law Bristol will be hosting ‘Secrets to Success Bristol — with Osborne Clarke, RWK Goodman, Bevan Brittan and ULaw’ on Thursday 13 March, 4pm to 6:30pm. Apply now to attend.
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