Ross Lindsay Hyams

Independent Evaluations of Clinical Legal Education Programs: Appropriate Objectives and Processes in an Australian Setting

While some major Australian law schools remain in what can only be described as clinical oblivion, 20 of our 29 law schools describe themselves as having clinical programs of one variety or another. This number signifies that the majority of Australian law deans now believe that some sort of clinical program is important to the educational and even social objectives of their schools. At its heart, it is argued, clinical legal education is simply the best way to teach normative law and the skills of normative analysis and to instil the sense of professionalism in students which a sceptical client community increasingly considers essential in its lawyers. But nothing is taken for granted in education, and clinical programs must periodically evaluate their performance in the same way as other programs, particularly when the prize could be greater overall engagement from the new federal government in innovative tertiary legal education. Periodic reviews by law schools of all aspects of their legal education mix are a reality, and their cyclical reoccurrence provides ongoing opportunity to improve the integration of conventional and clinical law teaching. Clinical educators need to be prepared for the cyclical review process, not because reviews can help to sustain their program but because such reviews provide opportunities to entrench the sustainability of legal education itself. This article is about the need for clinicians to be effectively prepared for independent, external reviews of law school clinical programs. It identifies what a clinical review should examine and what process is best adopted by such an evaluation in an Australian legal education setting, in order to maximise the prospects for workable and integrated clinical-legal education.

The Benefits of Multidisciplinary Learning in Clinical Practice for Law, Finance, and Social Work Students: An Australian Experience

In July 2010, the faculties of Law, Business and Economics, and Medicine at Monash University, Australia commenced placing law, finance, and social work students in a multidisciplinary clinic at a community legal service operated by the University. Students from the three disciplines began seeing legal service clients at the same time as a team. Clients who agreed to participate were interviewed by the team of students made up of the three disciplines in order to address client issues holistically. This article canvasses some of the perceived learning benefits of this project for students and their supervisors. It investigates how and why supervision within this clinic is a unique experience for students and supervisors alike. It raises the issues of dealing with the different ethical and professional guidelines of the three disciplines. Ultimately, we conclude that multidisciplinary training may have a wide range of advantages for all parties.

Where Will the Children Live? Arrangements for Separated Families in Australia

Family law policy considerations should not regard informal post-separation living arrangements as a panacea – the evidence from this research indicates that fluidity of movement and satisfaction in living arrangements is very individualistic amongst the children of separated families and does not necessarily rely on whether the arrangements were made informally between the parents or were court-ordered. The success or otherwise of post-separation living arrangements depend strongly on the ages and stages of the children subject to them.

Multidisciplinary Clinical Legal Education the Future of the Profession

There is no doubt that law firm employers have always expected law graduates to be knowledgeable in the law and have the requisite practical skills to enable them to practise effectively. However, there is a growing expectation among both employers and clients alike that today’s law graduate will also be expected to work in partnership with other professionals and have insights into areas other than law, in order to properly service clients with multi-layered and complex issues.