Free legal advice clinic - JWSS LAW

All of the 2018 legal drop in clinics are now fully booked, so please keep an eye on the residents' newsletter for 2019 dates. To sign up to the residents' newsletter, email newsletter@somersethouse.org.uk

We are delighted to announce that Somerset House Residents JWSS Law will once again be running their free lunchtime legal clinics over the autumn. They are here to help if you have if you have any specific questions on:

• How to protect your brand, designs or products against infringement
• How to commercialise your creative output e.g. through licensing or merchandising
• Contracts you have received or are providing to others
• What to do if somebody claims infringement of their rights, e.g. copyright, trade mark or design
• Points to consider when you commission work or are commissioned
• Confidentiality, e.g. if you pitch for work
• Clearing rights when you use other people’s materials or online content
• The right structure for your business or organization
• Shareholder or partnership agreements if you are working with others on a potentially profitable project or business
• Getting your business ready for investment
• Writing your will and estate planning

The sessions will last for half an hour and will give you the opportunity to speak with a solicitor about your legal issues on a 1-2-1 basis, in a private and confidential space.

How does it work?

To book an appointment, click on the ‘select a date’ button at the top of this page and choose a time and a date that suits you. When signing up you will be asked to provide a short description outlining the nature of the issue you would like to discuss (please keep this short and do not include any sensitive or confidential information at this stage).

Once we have received your booking, a member of the JWSS team will get in touch requesting further details about the matter you would like to discuss. Any further information or documents you provide will be treated with confidentiality by JWSS Law. Having this information prior to your session allows the team to prepare for your session and use your 30min appointment most efficiently.

After the session JWSS Law will send you a summary of your meeting, along with any additional useful information or resources.

Important things to note

• Please book your appointment by Friday the week prior to the advertised slot at the latest to give JWSS Law time to get in touch and prepare for your session.
• After booking your appointment, the JWSS team will contact you to request more details about the advice you are seeking. The deadline for sending this information over will be Tuesday lunchtime the day prior to your session.
• If the JWSS team have not received further details and supporting documents by close of play on Tuesday, we reserve the right to cancel your session and will notify you of the cancellation.
• The JWSS team have been very generous in providing these complimentary sessions and will spend valuable time preparing for your meeting. Therefore, if you can no longer attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as you can, so we can offer your slot to someone else.
• Each session will only last for half an hour, so please limit the number of issues you would like to discuss to fit this time frame.
• Please be punctual and arrive 5 minutes before your session is due to start. All meetings will take place in Somerset House. You will be advised where to meet JWSS Law in due course prior to your session.
• These sessions are only available to Somerset House Residents (including those with dedicated office space, Exchange members, Studios artists and Makerversity members).
• The issues you discuss will be treated with confidentiality.