Richard Grimes

Legal literacy, community empowerment and law schools—some lessons from a working model in the UK

IMAGINE THIS . . . you have just had a lecture on the impact of the Human Rights Act. You know all about the European Convention—the rules concerning torture and degrading treatment, fair trial, privacy and family life. You have even talked about it in a seminar and discussed all those cases from Strasbourg. But what do you really know? Lets find out. . .. Armed with your lecture notes and a textbook or two, you are off to gaol. Your law school has an arrangement with the Education Department at a local prison and a small group comprising of you, your classmates and your tutor, are going to meet 20 in-mates working on the Education wing. Two meetings are planned. At the first, you and your colleagues will introduce yourselves and give an outline of what the Human Rights Act is all about. You will need to make it interesting—who wants to be lectured when you can talk about real life experiences? After a few awkward moments the sessions gets underway. The prisoners start to enjoy the presentation. They slowly begin to ask questions, most of which are very practical and detailed. Like students in a tutorial some are of course more vocal than others. You do not know the answers to all (if any) of their questions (and cannot be expected to—do not worry you explained this to the prisoners at the outset) but like all good lawyers, you know where to find out. After the session you are off to the library or on the Internet. You

Accessing Justice: The Role of Law School Legal Clinics in Conflict-affected Societies

This article looks at access to justice in the context of histories, past or present, of armed conflict and civil strife. It takes, as its starting point, the importance of the rule of law as one of the means, if not the only (or even most suitable), of rendering accountable those who violate rights and prevent the uptake of entitlements. Given the relative lack of infrastructure in many jurisdictions, it is often problematic for indigent people to secure legal help. To address such unmet needs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and legal educators (and in some instances government departments) are coming together to establish legal clinics through which clients and communities can be assisted. Where these clinics are based in or are otherwise being supported by law schools, students under professional supervision, not only help the poor and the needy but also develop their own knowledge, skills and values by applying principle to practice. The article draws on the author’s direct experience in countries emerging from conflict and asks, to what extent can legal clinics provide an appropriate, relevant and sustainable service that meets the needs of all stakeholders? Also, it seeks to address whether there are lessons to be learnt from observed developments and if there is a ‘clinical’ model that can be adapted and implemented in jurisdictions where access to justice is a major challenge.

Pro Bono and Clinical Work in Law Schools: Summary and Analysis

This article describes the results and implications of a survey carried completed in 2014 and looking at the nature and extent of pro bono and clinical work in UK law schools. The survey is one of an ongoing series conducted every 2–3 years on behalf of the influential NGO, LawWorks (The Solicitors Pro Bono Group). The findings of this, the most recent survey, shows clearly that more law schools than ever are engaged in pro bono and clinical initiatives – a trend that has been increasingly evident over the past 15 years. To date over 70% of UK-based law schools have clinics. Not only is it the rule rather than the exception to do so but the numbers and scope of clinics in law schools that participate have grown considerably. These developments were reported to an international conference in 2015 (GAJE, Turkey) and delegates there concluded that such a survey would have global appeal and that work should now be carried out with a view to implementing such an initiative. This would have the potential to encourage the growth of pro bono work and might influence policy beyond law schools amongst government and the legal profession – leading to improved levels of legal education and increased access to justice.