What is Clinical Legal Education?

Clinical legal education is a type of experience-based learning which mixes the theory and practice of law.  This episode explores the different types of clinical work that students can get involved with and how it can be beneficial to your future career. The ReImagine Law team are joined by Professor Elaine Hall from Northumbria University and Lauren Fisher (a graduate from the Student Law Office at Northumbria University).  They discuss the unique benefits of student law clinics in giving students practical (often client facing) experience within a supporting and supervised environment.  Elaine and Lauren highlight especially how clinical legal education allows students to build skills in client relationship management: gaining experience in how to support clients, often during times of great personal stress, by showing empathy, good listening, and asking good questions.Elaine highlights some interesting research which demonstrates how law students engaging in clinical legal education can simultaneously improve their academic outcomes.   Lauren also outlines how her experiences assisted her in developing skills and confidence, and in applying for roles. We always encourage listeners to undertake practical actions after listening to the episode. The charity LawWorks have recently published a study into the work of student law clinics around the country.  Read this report and particularly the viewpoints of students who engage in clinics. If you are not at university or your university does not have a student law clinic you might find opportunities to get involved at Citizens Advice.  Visit their website and see what volunteering opportunities exist in your area to see if you can get involved.Useful resourcesThe Clinical Legal Education Organisation is a charity which supports student law clinics. Their website gives a great overview of clinical work: https://www.cleo-uk.org/. Have a look at the Law Society page on clinical legal education  The International Journal of Clinical Legal Education is a free online journal.  There are lots of good articles about student law clinics.  You can look through the archives to see if any of the articles interest you.