Cardiff pro bono scheme celebrated at annual Law Society Dinner

A free legal advice service for Ukrainians has won the Best Access to Justice Initiative at this year’s Cardiff and District Law Society Dinner.

Ukraine Project Cymru, part of the School of Law and Politics pro bono unit, was set up in November 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of the same year. Since the war broke out, over 170,000 Ukrainians have moved to the UK with many experiencing wide ranging immigration and asylum law issues.

Ukraine Project Cymru is a unique response to this situation in Wales and is a partnership between Cardiff University, Welsh Government and local charity Asylum Justice. The project offers a free immigration advice scheme to individuals and families based in Wales who have fled from Ukraine and is headed up by law lecturer and qualified immigration and asylum lawyer, Jen Morgan. Jen is supported by Project Coordinator Suzy McGarrity, Paraglegal Volunteer Emily Davis and 18 law students.

Speaking of the project, Tom Black, Partner, Eversheds Sutherland (who sponsored the award) said, “This year’s winner is a collaboration that we felt is fulfilling a very important social need. It appears to have been mobilised very quickly in response to the war in Ukraine and has benefitted a significant number of people in a short space of time. It is also creating opportunities for student volunteers to gain valuable work experience in the legal sector.”

Professor Julie Price, Head of Pro Bono at the School of Law and Politics commended the project’s work and said, “We are delighted that our students, through working with Ukraine Project Cymru, are able to gain experience of being part of the front-line response to a real-world crisis. They have gained insight into how immigration policy affects the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and how important it is that people in this situation get the right legal advice.”

If you are a Ukrainian who requires assistance on immigration matters since arriving in Wales, please visit the Ukraine Cymru Project page on our pro bono website.

Ukraine Project Cymru participants -  Back row (L-R) Ben Cocker, Jacob Reynolds, Darrmen Devan, Luccia Owen, Gabby Wright, Ellie Dando, Charlotte Allison, Lyudmyla Bernyk, Marcela De Camargo.

Front row (L-R) – Suzy McGarrity, Amelia Parre, Sophia McKenna, Madison Tully, Holly Jarvis and Jen Morgan.

Poppy Adams, Devesh Dhake, Cara Wright, Kathy Carter, Isabel Horsler, Tim Lok Ma, Milly Turner and Emily Davis are part of the project but do not appear in the group photo.