Spotlight on Riana Goldman and Andreea Iliuta, Legal Advice Centre

Riana Goldman, Project Coordinator, and Andreea Iliuta, Graduate Intern Administrator, talk about their work at the School of Law's Legal Advice Centre.

What led you to work for the School of Law Legal Advice Centre?

Andreea: In the summer of 2017, I stumbled upon the advert for the Graduate Administrator position for the Legal Advice Centre so I thought I’d apply given my previous experience and because I want to pursue a career in international development. Getting experience in an environment where it’s all about pro-bono work seemed like a good place to start.

Riana: Throughout my undergraduate degree, I volunteered at the Legal Advice Centre; first as a receptionist and then as a student advisor. When it came time to graduate, the opportunity came up to manage the Manchester Free Legal Help Centre and Dinah Crystal (our then Director) encouraged me to apply. The rest is history!

The Centre has won many awards over the years. What, for you, makes the Centre such an acclaimed project and what do you personally get out of working there?

Andreea: It’s great working with the students, especially having recently been one myself! Some of those who volunteer as student advisors come back to do it all again, this time as supervising lawyers. All the work they do is pro-bono, so it’s also a great learning experience for the students. Our volunteers – student receptionists, student advisors and lawyer supervisors alike – all play a big part in what we’re doing, and I just find it exciting to be in the middle of it all. For the second year in a row, the Legal Advice Centre won the Pro Bono/ Community Initiative award at the Manchester Legal Awards; this year for Manchester Free Legal Help, its sister service in the Civil Justice Centre.

Riana: I get such pleasure out of my work because every day is totally different. The students are engaging with members of the public and issues that may not be covered in their degree. We’ve found that a lot of students who volunteered as student advisors come back to volunteer their time as a qualified supervisor and I think that shows the testament of the Centre and the impact that it has on the students that volunteer here. We’re really lucky that the wider legal community acknowledges the work that the Centres do; we recently won the Manchester Legal Award for Best Pro Bono Initiative for Manchester Free Legal Help (the centre that I run) and it was the second year in a row that we’ve won that award. It’s always such a fun evening and this year was no exception!

What are you most looking forward to at work over the next few months?

Riana: This is a really exciting time for the Legal Advice Centre! We’ve started to implement a new case management system for the campus Centre and we’re planning for our annual Vacation Scheme, in association with the University of Law. Our long-standing administrative manager, Anne, is retiring soon and I will miss working with her every single day, but it’ll be interesting to meet new colleagues and see their perspective on the centres. 

Andreea: I’m excited about the new case management system we’re implementing and about engaging with students for the Vacation Scheme in the summer term. Oh, and there’s also our solicitor/manager’s, Christine Peacock, successful employment case to celebrate! Christine, along with her team of ten students, helped a group of dismissed employees to win an employment case on their behalf. There will be a press release, so more details will follow soon.

Andreea, what’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given, and how did it help you?

When I was at a crossroads, my oldest friend from back home told me how 'nobody's going to live your life for you, you have to do that yourself' (pretty sure she got it from a book though). But that just gave me the push I needed. It definitely sounds cliché, but thanks to that piece of advice I moved to Manchester to pursue a Master's degree, a decision which opened a whole different range of opportunities.

Riana, if you could go anywhere in the world, money no object, where would you like to go and why?

I would travel to Guyana in South America as the maternal side of my family are from there originally and I know nothing about it! I’d then travel down the Amazon as the wildlife around there fascinates me and I’d be able to impersonate David Attenborough to the best of my ability.