Category: Clinical Legal Education – Australia
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Michael John McNamara, Supervision in the Legal Profession Regulatory Framework
In this chapter, the author examines the regulatory supervision regimes, particularly within Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Australia has no student practice rules for students engaged in experiential learning opportunities such as clinical programs. Often, these programs operate outside student practice rules; thus, the regulatory framework in place treaties law students the…
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Margaret Castles, “Marriage of Convenience or a Match Made in Heaven? A Collaboration between a Law School Clinic and a Commercial Law Firm”
This article explores the “reverse externship[s]” where private solicitors attend clinics to assist with the supervision of students within the Australian law school context. Standard legal clinics require supervision, which often manifests in a ratio of 8:1, making supervision more costly than lecturers. The costs associated with legal clinics is a major issue within legal…
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Adrian Evans et al, Australian Clinical Legal Education
Of particular interest in this book is the chapter “The Importance of Effective Supervision”. This chapter considers the changing dynamics of supervision in law firms and the key supervision issues facing clinical programs. It focuses on important supervision dimensions, which include: enhancing quality, accuracy, and timeliness of tasks; mentoring junior staff; fostering awareness of ethical…
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YA Vawda, “Learning from experience: the art and science of clinical law”
This article examines the legal clinic system in South Africa. This article sets out a model for clinical supervision which attempts to combine close supervision with a highly interactive and participatory approach. This model requires that students are present at the clinic for an entire day during intake of clients. A typical intake day would…
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Kylie Fletcher, “Law Clinics Educating for Complexity Through Integrative Learning”
This paper argues that the legal education system is complex; clinical legal education allows for integrative learning experiences from a law-and-society perspective. Levy describes a complex system as: “[O]ne whose component parts interact with sufficient intricacy that they cannot be predicted by standard linear equations; so many variables are at work in the system that…
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Jeff Giddings, Reciprocal Professional Development: Enhancing Law Student Supervision in Practice-based Contexts
This report examines the Effective Law Student Supervision (ELSS) Project which is concerned with issues related to professionalism and legal education with focus on enhancing the experiences of law students and supervisors involved in clinical programs in law schools as well as externship arrangements. Central to the project is effective supervision, focused on achieving articulated…
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Jeff Giddings & Michael McNamara, “Preparing Future Generations of Lawyers for Legal Practice: What’s Supervision Got to Do with It?”
This article considers the important role of supervision in legal practice in Australia and argues for a more structured approach to supervision. This article sets out the historical roots of clinical legal education and examines supervision in the legal context as a means of developing knowledge and abilities. Without adequate training, supervisors are ill-equipped to…
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Elizabeth Curran, “Social Justice – Making It Come Alive and a Reality for Student and Enabling Them to become Engaged Future Ethical Practitioners”
This article discusses the benefit of exposing law students to access to justice in the context of clinical legal education, better situates them for the uncertainties and realities of legal practice, within the Australian context. This paper further discusses the drawbacks of teaching students merely through the case method in individual legal silos, an impediment…
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Susannah Sage-Jacobson & Tania Leiman, “Identifying Teaching and Learning Opportunities within Professional Relationships between Clinic Supervisors”
This paper examines the Flinders Legal Advice Clinic through an appreciative inquiry research approach, allowing for reflection on past experiences, insights into positive events, identification of peak performance and the exploration of possibilities for future successful practice. “Appreciative inquiry” is a strengths-based approach that affirms individuals and brings greater focus on positives and strengths to…