Clinical legal education: Identifying required pedagogical components
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Abstract
English
Clinical legal education is mainly a practical course, although it includes training
in the substantive law. University law clinics generally have to satisfy two main
objectives, namely teaching of students and service to the community. Clinical
teaching methods can make distinctive contributions to student learning. Clinical
pedagogy consists of three main categories, namely the clinic experience,
classroom instruction and tutorial sessions. These, as well as specialised clinical
units, are discussed. Clinic duties expose students to real consultations with live
clients posing with real problems, ensuring a sustainable platform for teaching
and learning. Classroom instructions are required for substantive law review and
teaching in fields such as professionalism and ethics. Tutorials are the most focused
form of instruction, where the clinical experiences and classroom instructions are
transferred into legal practice.
Keywords
English
Clinical legal education Clinical pedagogy Law review Law tutorials Law instruction
Record information
Authors
Du Plessis, M. A.
Publisher
Faculty of Law, University of the Free State
Date
Collections
Description
This article emanates from a PhD study undertaken by the author, comprising a review of four South African university law clinics and comparing those to data collected from international jurisdictions. Empirical studies reflect those done at the University of the Witwatersrand Law Clinic.