Integrating theory and practice in the LLB curriculum: some reflections

The debate regarding the ideal outcomes for tertiary legal education has been a topic of national and international discourse for a long time. One of the aspects of this debate is whether legal theory and practical legal skills education should be integrated, and if so, how this should be achieved. It is common knowledge that since the inclusion of skills courses in the LLB curriculum, notably the clinical law courses, there has been progress in South Africa towards moving to a curriculum that integrates theory and practical legal skills. This article argues that there are compelling reasons in the South African context that integration of theory and skills should indeed occur in tertiary legal education, but that such an occurrence should not place the sole burden on skills courses alone.