Law students' clinic experience: Is it all hype in relation to performance on lack-letter law exams

Abstract

Does legal clinic experience really have a positive contribution to students’ performance on black-letter law examinations? This is the question we set out to answer by reference to data we collected from current law students at the University of East London (UEL). The sample is small and our findings are limited. However, we hope the results inform fellow legal education clinicians of the perceived and real benefits that law clinic students derive from their legal clinic experience and provide a basis for further research on this subject, such as the correlation between clinical legal education and black-letter law. It is important, now more than ever, that universities adapt to ensure that they are fit for purpose in equipping students with the skills they need for the workplace as well as sound theory and in-depth substantive contents of their subjects of study.