Rebecca Samaras

    A former practising litigation solicitor, Rebecca was appointed Director of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education at the University of Edinburgh in July 2019. She is responsible for developing and leading the Edinburgh Law School’s pro bono and clinical legal education activity. The role includes coordinating and managing the Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) and Virtual Law Clinic, and providing clinical legal education opportunities for students at all levels of study. She is a Trustee of the Access to Justice Foundation (ATJF) and Chair of the ATJF Scotland committee as well as a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Access to Justice Committee. She is also the current Chair of the Scottish University Law Clinic Network (SULCN) which was passed to her by fellow CLEO Trustee, Malcolm Combe. She received the Principal’s Medal for Community Service in 2013 for her contribution as the then Pro Bono Coordinator for Edinburgh Law School. As Director of the former Edinburgh Centre for Professional Legal Studies, Rebecca led the co-ordination and delivery of professional programmes at Edinburgh Law School from March 2014 until June 2019. She has extensive experience in teaching legal and core skills and is an alumnus of Core Solutions Group where she undertook training in mediation, negotiation and conflict management. Rebecca is the Communications Trustee for CLEO.