Live Client Clinics: Bridging the Gap

Abstract

There has been a shift in attitudes towards clinical learning as part of the student learning experience at universities. Some modern Universities in the United Kingdom now integrate practical based learning in their law degree programmes. Kingston University London offers credits to its students as part of their law degree for participating in its law clinic. The view the University of East London (UEL) adopts in preparing students for the world beyond the university is that “Students do not deserve to be handed a flat-pack degree without any extras – they deserve a fully rounded education and that is what they will get if they come [to UEL].” UEL’s Law Clinic is a central vehicle to achieving this aim.

This practice-based paper looks at the development of our Law Clinic, which is a live client clinic, how it works in practice and includes a breakdown of statistics in demographics and advice areas. We present a selection of cases as well as extracts from students and clients’ testimonials.  

Drawing on the benefits from our clients and experience of our students, this paper concludes that the experience gained from working in the Law Clinic should be integrated into the academic content of the law school. We suggest that live clinics increase the quality and experience of our students’ learning.