LSE Legal Advice Clinic X Mike’s Table: A night remembering Mike
Tuesday 22 July 2025
8th Floor, London School of Economic (LSE) Law Department, WC2A 3LJ (map)
Written by: Meggie, Louise and T
On Tuesday 22nd July 2025, we hosted a very special evening in collaboration with the LSE Legal Advice Clinic. This was a special night dedicated to remembering Mike, his brilliance and dedication to his students, to celebrate Mike’s Table and its impact on all who have been guests or volunteers, and mark the wonderful beginning of the LSE Legal Advice Clinic. It was held on the 8th floor of the LSE Law Department, which is now the beautiful home of the Legal Advice Clinic, offering breathtaking views across London.
About the event
For those who didn’t know Mike Redmayne, he was a Professor of Law at the LSE Law Department and the much-loved husband of Louise. He died far too young, at the age of 47, 10 years ago. When he died, Louise wanted to honour his memory with a good cause. As Louise shared during the evening:
“In our home, we have a beautiful slate dining table and Mike and I enjoyed many good times around it with friends and family. Some of you here were lucky enough to sample Mike’s excellent cooking. What a joy it is to sit and eat with others! It’s so simple and yet so very special. And sitting at this table after Mike’s death, I realised that this was the gift I could pass on to others, others who may not have a chance to enjoy a meal with other people. And the germ of the idea of Mike’s Table was born”.
Marking the 10th anniversary of Mike’s death, the LSE Law Department wanted to do something meaningful. So, with the help of the wonderful Professor Emily Jackson (a dear friend of Louise and Mike), and Diana Kirsch, Director of the LSE Legal Advice Clinic, the idea of this special evening stemmed. Diana instantly grasped the synergy of the two organisations. While Mike’s Table offers hospitality to those who are socially isolated, the Legal Advice Clinic supports those who are legally isolated. Louise and Diana both did wonderful and informative speeches, explaining the background and work of the two organisations.
The LSE Legal Advice Clinic aims to improve access to justice by providing free, confidential legal advice to members of the public on a range of issues. The clinic offers students the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience designed to enhance their employability. You can find more information here.
One of the highlights was bringing together representatives from our incredible charity partners at MT, many of whom we have worked with for years over email, without ever meeting in person. These organisations refer guests to Mike’s Table for a free evening. They spend a lot of time helping build people’s confidence enough to come to Mike’s Table, which is huge to most of our guests. We are proud that these incredible organisations now consider Mike’s Table to be an integral service they can offer to their communities. This evening was not only a huge thank you for their work, but also an opportunity to introduce them to the Clinic, which will hopefully become a resource for these incredible organisations. We were also joined by people from LSE and the wider public, creating a wonderful mix of backgrounds.
Everyone was chatting away, sharing stories, and forging new connections, enjoying the wonderful hospitality of LSE with drinks and canapes, and desserts from Mike’s Table. The evening reminded us about the deeper meaning of hospitality. In her speech, Louise shared a quote from the brilliant restauranter Will Guidera:
“In hospitality, we have an opportunity to make magic in a world that desperately needs more of it.”
Mike’s Table aspires to do this because Mike understood this opportunity, bringing his own magic into his work with his fellow scholars, teachers, pupils and to his friends, which made him so memorable. The world is clearly a much better place when people are hospitable, certainly bringing out the best in everyone. At this event, the networking among the guests ensured everyone was re-energised to do more for those they can help and think of ways to support each other’s organisations.
Mike’s Table through the years…
Looking ahead
We’re always being asked if we can do an event in Birmingham, Bristol or Brighton, but being primarily volunteer led this is very difficult. So, at this event, Louise shared about our exciting plans ahead at Mike’s Table…we’ve decided to help others host their own MT style events. We’ve written a useful step-by-step toolkit and will offer practical support too as part of a free franchise which we’ve called Our Table. We’re running a pilot event in Derbyshire this autumn. This is a collaboration between Glossopdale School and InCommon, a brilliant charity that brings older and younger people together. Exciting times! If anyone out there thinks they might like to have a go or knows of anyone who’ll be up for it, then please get in touch with us at info@mikes-table.org.
Here’s to more evenings like this, and to bringing hospitality to everyone.
Accessing the LSE Legal Advice Clinic
Diana is already in touch with several of our charities so the event is already having a far reaching effect. If you are an organisation that would like to find out more about how your community can access legal advice, please contact Diana on D.Kirsch@lse.ac.uk. The Legal Advice Clinic is currently closed, but will reopen to new enquiries in August 202.
Quotes from guests
'I really enjoyed the evening, and it was great to hear the exciting Mike’s Table news and find out about the Legal Advice Clinic. This will be a fantastic support to our clients, and I will let all the team here know about it so they can refer clients. It was great to meet other charity partners, and I made some good connections.'
'There was so much love and positivity in the room. A triumph!'
‘It was so nice to meet you in person, hear about your important and meaningful work and learn about the LSE clinic. It was a pleasure and an honour for us to be there. Keep doing what you do with such love, care and authenticity.’
‘It’s been a week now since your lovely celebration of MT and the launch event at the LSE and I wanted to say congratulations! We were honoured to be there, to hear some of the background to MT, to be one of the first to know your plans to make it a franchise and to witness the launch of the new, free legal service.’
