UEA launches new Business Clinic for local SME
The University of East Anglia’s (UEA) Law Clinic was founded in 2012 and has its own purpose built, fully accessible premises within Earlham Hall on the UEA campus. In that time, it has won multiple national awards for its partnerships with the local advice community and the work done by its students. Now, the Clinic is setting up a new Business Clinic, providing free advice and help to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the local area. An SME is classed as any businesses with fewer than 250 employees.
Since its initial partnership with Norfolk Community Law Service, UEA’s Law Clinic has grown enormously and can now offer free advice in partnership with local solicitors, Norfolk Citizens Advice, Equal Lives, Shelter, and Norfolk Community Foundation, as well as through its long-running agreement with Norfolk Community Law Service.
On any given day, the Clinic might be the base for a team of solicitors, advisors, and students, seeing people needing help with debt, immigration, family law, domestic abuse, housing issues, disability-related problems, welfare benefits advice, or employment law and discrimination law help. Around 200 students volunteer with the Clinic across the full range of different legal area. Emails or calls to Norfolk Citizens Advice may also be answered by the Clinic as it is a Citizens Advice Bureau digital hub.
The new Business Clinic is a partnership between different local organisations and academic experts at UEA. Students from UEA’s Law and Business schools will help run the clinics and sit in on the advice sessions, developing their business and legal knowledge. The initial plan is to hold the Business Clinic once per month while interest is gauged, generally on the second Friday, with the inaugural day on 10 March.
Polly Morgan, Director of the Law Clinic, said:
“Many families locally rely on small enterprises and we know that not all business owners can afford to pay for advice at the moment. Our role, and the role of UEA, is to support our community – we’re part of it.
“We’re really pleased that in addition to the work we do on social justice issues, we can now help people grow their businesses, whether they have no employees, one employee, or a couple of hundred. The group of advisors we’ve put together are absolute experts at what they do – helping businesses flourish.”
The team behind the Business Clinic can help with a multitude of services, including setting up a company, drafting terms and conditions, succession planning, expansion or business direction, cost and service delivery, intellectual property, employment law, and governance issues.
Academics Andrew Fearne and Andrew Vassallo from UEA’s Norwich Business School are two of the Clinic’s advisors. Andrew Fearne is an expert on consumer behaviour and buyer-supplier relationships, and has a particular interest in helping local food and drink producers. Andrew Vassallo is a research and development specialist with considerable experience of all parts of the manufacturing sector. Together they have years of experience advising local and national businesses, and are often called upon to help companies to expand or develop – or solve problems preventing them from doing so.
Menta, the Mid-Anglian Enterprise Agency, is sending its advisors who can offer a whole range of different help, from advice on business grants and loans to online business skills development training across marketing, sales, digital and social media, and process improvement. Menta’s CEO Alex Till is chair of the National Enterprise Network.
Birketts Solicitors, always keen supporters of local causes, are providing legal advice. Corporate Associate William Kemp is leading, but specialists from related areas such as employment and intellectual property will come on board when needed.
William Kemp said:
“We are proud to be involved in the UEA Business Clinic. By supporting the local community with a pro bono business law service, we’ll be able to provide many local businesses with vital advice that they would be otherwise unable to access.”
Before joining UEA Law School, Dionne Dury was a workplace mediator, troubleshooting disputes between those who work together. She now brings this experience to the Business Clinic, where she is available to work with businesses or management teams who need an outside perspective to help resolve disagreements. Dionne has worked for SMEs, charities, and public sector companies across a variety of different sectors including local government, education, health and social care. and is a committee member for the Civil Mediation Council’s Workplace and Employment group.
The Clinic recently reached an agreement with mediator Ben Dures to set up a mediation service for people involved in civil disputes such as commercial disputes between companies over the performance of a contract, contested Wills and estates, neighbour disputes, or disputes over adult social care funding. The service will be free, but donations are requested to benefit Norfolk Community Law Service. Mediation services will be held on two Fridays per month, on separate days to the Business Clinic.
Jane Basham, CEO of Norfolk Community Law Service, said:
“Some of the people we see just want their legal problem resolved quickly and do not want to go through adversarial court procedures. Mediation offers them a solution, but there’s a cost. So it’s fantastic that UEA Law school and trusted local solicitor Ben Dures are going to provide another way for people, with no means to pay, to access justice.”
Ben Dures’ civil mediation service is also available to address disputes between businesses.
Local residents who run a small or medium sized enterprise, or are thinking of setting one up, are encouraged to contact the team for more information and to make an appointment at