Clinical Legal Education :

It’s role in ensuring free

legal aid service
What is clinical legal aid?

Clinical legal education is a teaching method that combines

theoretical concepts and actual legal practice. Its purpose is
to help students learn from their own experience and from
their reflection on that experience.

Why Clinical Legal Education?

“Clinical Legal Education (CLE) programs provide pro bono

services to the community while educating the next
generation of social justice, pro bono champions.”
CLE: Promoting a Pro Bono Ethic
 It helps to educate future lawyers in the spirit of public
service within their respective communities and
promotes the value of providing pro bono legal services.

 In addition, it advocates for a pro bono ethic in the legal

profession by organizing and supporting regional events
for lawyers, academics, students, policy makers and
representatives from non-governmental organizations to
develop pro bono initiatives that strengthen access to
justice throughout Southeast Asia.
How Clinical Legal Education (CLE) Works?

 Clinical programmes and the methods engage the students in

a whole range of learning objectives necessary to think and
act like a lawyer, particularly when the students deals with
real life situations in legal aid clinics. Interests are cultivated,
attitudes are developed, skills are imparted, value clarification
is provided, ethical decisions are made and confidence and
responsibility experienced by the students in clinical setting.
The learning in internalized both at the "basic level" as well as
the in the "professional skills level".
Benefits Of CLE
 Students will gain skills in :

 CLIENT INTERVIEWING DRAFTING & DOCUMENTATION RESEARCH

 ARBITRATION & NEGOTIATION ADVOCACY
 TIME MANAGEMENT
 REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

 By taking lessons from experienced lawyers and other professionals, students

will gain a real understanding of the legal practitioner's role and the variety in
legal work.

 Experiencing first hand professional exposure leads to a deeper

understanding of important areas of professional practice.
Problems in Initiating Legal Aid/ CLE
 According to the UNDP study, the key difficulties in
developing CLE in India are that:

 There is a lack of an institutionalized approach towards

clinical legal education. Most law schools have an ad-hoc
approach towards legal aid clinics, the success of which
depends largely on the enthusiasm of the faculty and the
students.
 No credit is given to students who undertake these activities,
which is a disincentive to students to conduct them and
discourages them to follow through on their commitments;
 There is no workload reduction given to faculty who are
designated to supervise legal aid service;
 Communities are not aware that the law schools
provide free legal services; and
 Under the Advocates Act, full-time law teachers
and students are not allowed to represent clients
before courts.
 There are difficulties in supervision and
assessment: Supervising students in the clinic is a
herculean task.
 Some may fear that a legal clinic offering free legal
work will upset the law school’s relation with the
local legal professionals (Mohammad Ghouse,
1977).