The Queen Mary University, Legal Advice Centre provides a free confidential service where victims of image-based sexual abuse (revenge porn) can receive personalised and specific legal advice.
The Centre trains Law students to provide this free service, under the supervision of qualified barristers and solicitors. This symbiotic relationship enables clients to receive valuable legal advice for free, helps students develop into high-quality lawyers who care about pro bono legal services, and provides lawyers with the opportunity to undertake pro bono work bringing diversity into their roles. While the Centre has over 10 different clinics, one of our best-known clinics is SPITE (Sharing and Publishing Images to Embarrass)
You can find more information about SPITE on their website
This is a clinic dedicated to intimate image abuse victims. Clients come to us with wide-ranging issues varying from people who have been threatened with the disclosure of private sexual images, to situations where private images are already widespread on internet platforms or in messages.
We deal with all cases, regardless of whether the identity of the person who shared the images is known or not. Sometimes the images may been taken with the consent of the victim or by them, while others may have been taken without the client’s permission.
We are dedicated to providing a non-judgemental, compassionate and caring service. We work closely with the Revenge Porn Helpline to ensure that clients can liaise and work with both organisations at the same time. We are very proud to work with, and support, such a fantastic and hardworking team at RPH.
If you would like free legal advice please do send us an email at lac@qmul.ac.uk, with your name, contact number, and just a sentence saying that you have a SPITE enquiry – no need to go into any details. A member of the team will call you back to see if we can book you in for an appointment. We are able to offer in-person, Skype and telephone appointments, so do not worry if you are not based in London.
In 2016, we developed our SPITE project to have a preventative remit as well as assist victims who have already been impacted. Our project, SPITE for Schools, enables teams of law students to design bespoke workshops for local secondary school students on the illegality of sharing intimate images. If you work at a school in east London and would like a workshop please do get in touch via email here.
One SPITE student says: “My role as a student advisor has taught me that there is more to being a lawyer than knowing the law. Empathy, professionalism and understanding are three invaluable skills that the role invites student advisers to develop. I found my contribution so rewarding and I could not have given enough time to the project. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been involved.”
