Collaborative legal aid clinic: immigration law at HMP Huntercombe

Applications for the Academic Year 2026 - 2027 will be open from 5th October 2026.   

The Bonavero Institute seeks to enrich the human rights experience of Oxford students, and to assist them to develop careers in the broad field of human rights. Its “Gateways to Human Rights Research and Practice” initiative aims to deepen student engagement with the institute’s research projects and to provide insights into human rights practice. This and several other programmes form part of this initiative, including non-credit courses, Research Training Programmes, the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition, the  Collaborative legal aid clinic: immigration law for foreign national women prisoners in UK prisons,  and our  Student Fellowship Programme. 

Programme summary  

The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, the Centre for Criminology, and Oxford law firm Turpin & Miller organise a collaborative legal aid clinic each academic year. Six students are selected to participate in the clinic, which gives those who wish to develop careers in human rights and immigration law the opportunity to gain expertise carrying out country research, preparing tribunal bundles, taking statements, and liaising with prisons and relevant third parties.  

Most HMP Huntercombe prisoners are currently facing deportation without any legal representation. This is due to drastic cuts in legal aid that mean the costs of initial consultations with prisoners are not always covered by legal aid and are therefore undertaken at risk. This project guarantees an initial consultation for prisoners facing deportation and enables Turpin Miller to secure legal aid for them, where possible, addressing an urgent human rights need.   

Students are required to spend one day per month working at the clinic. Participating students are supervised by an experienced solicitor and receive hands-on experience with immigration law and human rights. The clinic is held on Thursdays every fortnight at HMP Huntercombe under the supervision of a solicitor from Turpin & Miller. At each clinic, two students assist in interviewing potential clients at HMP Huntercombe. Each student also assists Turpin & Miller with case follow-up.  

An introductory seminar will be held to give an overview of basic principles of immigration and asylum law and provide training on interview techniques and the ethics of legal advice work in a prison. There are also regular opportunities for the student group to share their experiences and speak about challenges. Participants will be provided with a certificate to confirm their participation in the programme.  

 Profile of participants  

• Research skills: Graduate law and criminology students or graduate students of other disciplines with an undergraduate law degree; interest in immigration law and human rights. 
• Availability: Participants are expected to commit approx. 12 hours per month over the course of the academic year. This includes   

a) initial training as well as termly review sessions;   

b) assisting in the legal aid clinics at HMP Huntercombe (half a day, once per month);   

c) assisting Turpin & Miller with case follow-up (half a day, once per month);   

d) a blog post or academic paper on an issue that arises from the clinic.   

Successful applicants will also be required to attend an introductory session which will be led by Prof. Mary Bosworth, Dr Eliza Bechtold, and Tom Giles, this will be held in-person at the Bonavero Institute on 27th October 2026 from 4pm - 5pm. 

Application process 

Download the application guidelines. 

Please send as a  SINGLE pdf a letter setting out why you would like to participate in this programme, together with a CV, to: bonavero-programmes@law.ox.ac.uk.   

Please state your Clinic preference in your application i.e.,: HMP Huntercombe or the Women's Prisons Clinic.   

Closing date for Applications for the Academic Year 2026 - 2027: Noon UK time, 21st October 2026 (please note, applications submitted after noon UK time will not be considered unless in exceptional circumstances). 

Applicants will be notified as to whether their application for the Academic Year 2026 - 2027 has been successful on 26th October 2026.