Noah Robinson (he/him)

I joined Bristol Law Centre (BLC) in October 2022 as part of their Legal Advocacy Support Project (LASP), continuing until graduating from the University of Bristol in July 2025.

The project offers an unrivalled opportunity for students to run their own appeal cases for the disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (commonly referred to as PIP) and conduct their own advocacy before the First-tier Tribunal. This is especially rare for students at undergraduate level. Volunteers are given a huge amount of responsibility, and the work is relatively self-directed, something that has provided invaluable to discuss in interviews and in gaining other opportunities.

It offered me a key insight into social welfare law and what a career in both the charity and legal sector might look like. The project makes a significant impact in challenging unfavourable decisions made by the Department of Work and Pensions and makes a key difference in the lives of our clients. I felt incredibly proud and rewarded by my work and it was certainly a highlight of my time at university. It has also played a key factor in me considering a career in public interest law after graduating from Bristol.

I am currently a Welfare Benefits Caseworker at North Bristol Advice Centre, and the experience I gained at BLC was certainly instrumental in me getting the position. I felt incredibly well-supported by Rosie and Hannah and the wider team during my time at BLC and am very grateful for the experience I gained as part of LASP.