Our Projects

Dewis/Choice is a unique initiative that combines service delivery with a research project. Since it was established in 2015, research has primarily focused on participatory action research working with a diverse range of older people. We have sought to convey the 'lived experiences' of people through a wide range of mediums including film, books, peer reviewed journals, webinars, petitions, art and poetry.

It is the first dedicated service in the UK for older men, women and non-binary people who’ve experienced domestic abuse from an intimate partner and/or adult family member. Our research highlighted the need for specialist training for organisations to recognise the prevalence, nature and complexity of domestic abuse in later life. Many of the service users have described the service as life-saving.

The aim of the Veterans Legal Link project is to reduce the legal advice deficit in Wales by linking veterans with specialist services. The project offers free legal advice, specialist signposting, casework and advocacy in ‘Debt and Housing’, ‘Divorce’, ‘Family and Children’, ‘Employment’ and ‘Military Injury Claims’ to veterans in Wales.

Contact: info@veteranslegallinkuk.org

Facebook: Veterans Legal Link Facebook page 

Veterans Legal Link was founded on the belief that lawyers and law students can use their skills to bring equal justice to veterans and their families in need who are living in Wales.

Set up in 2015 by Dr Olaoluwa Olusanya, Reader in Law and Criminology at Aberystwyth University, the project has now made successful applications for a grant of £20,000 from the Ministry of Defence and almost £5,000 from the Big Lottery Fund and relies on a network of volunteer legal clinics, charities and organisations including Citizens Advice Mid & West Wales, West Wales Action for Mental Health and the Ceredigion Armed Forces Community Covenant.

As well as helping veterans and conducting its own independent academic research, this project provides valuable work experience for students, showing them how law operates in real-life and how it can help people in need.

Students from Aberystwyth University can sign up for the voluntary internship that is flexible enough to work around a busy student schedule and offers over 80 hours of both academic and practical experience. Please email Dr Olaoluwa Olusanya for more information on internships and volunteer opportunities.

We enjoy working with young people and are keen to share our passion for the disciplines of law and criminology with pupils in local schools and colleges.

We can offer workshops and taster-talks at times and dates suitable for the school or college. We have designed our workshops and taster talks with the school/college syllabus in mind. These can be adapted to suit individual course needs.

Taster talks will focus on a specific element of Law and Criminology taught at the Department of Law and Criminology in Aberystwyth University. They combine the interests of academic staff members with contemporary global issues to provide an insight into the world of law.

For further information about our activities for schools and colleges, please get in touch with us by phone (01970 621537) or email (law@aber.ac.uk)

When the Covid lockdowns happened in 2020, the legal system moved very quickly to a system of remote hearings in a number of cases. The Department of Law and Criminology has investigated the efficacy of these hearings, and following a conference in 2022, has published a report that explores the experiences of the judiciary, the legal profession and academic commentary, and explores the scope for continuing with remote hearings into the future. Please read the Full Report.