A Pro Bono Teaching Clinic: Preparing Law Students for Legal Practice and Promoting Community Service Dr Francina Cantatore, Centre for Professional Legal Education, Bond University Australia

Case study: The Bond Law Clinic

A Commercial Law Clinic Operation Supervision and other issues Services: Free legal advice to small business, non-profits and entrepreneurs Is there really a need?

Main objectives Promote community service Practice-based learning opportunities for students Free public legal service Lawyers engage in pro bono activities and mentoring

Structure 4 Integral components

Clinic procedures Students don’t provide legal advice Lawyers provide Interview under supervision Hands-on legal research Draft legal advice Lawyers provide Timely feedback – draft advice Immediate feedback – interviewing skills Training: Students and lawyers Induction Volunteer handbook

Community engagement and employability Positive benefits for students • experiential learning > real clients and cases • promoting employability > communication skills, ethics & professionalism • promoting social responsibility > community service • networking and mentoring opportunities

University run clinics There are many successful Australian university run law clinics eg: The Kingsford Legal Centre at the University of New South Wales which incorporates a number of different clinical subjects and is run by a staff solicitor. The South Australian law schools - Flinders University, University of South Australia and University of Adelaide also adopt a similar model involving legal academics who also have legal practice experience and current unrestricted practising certificates to provide legal advice to clients. The University of Queensland Pro Bono Centre incorporates a number of different clinics in which students can enrol for academic credit.

CLE v Pro Bono Clinical legal Education Pro Bono Programs Academic credit Purely voluntary non-reward Primary motivation - securing gain Social justice/professional responsibility Teaching focus Community service focus Course fees No cost Formal assessment procedures Informal or no assessment Specific learning and teaching outcomes Informal feedback and reflective practices Targeted pedagogical objectives Limited pedagogical objectives

Bond Law Clinic - A hybrid model Overlap Community service setting Creating a pro bono ethos Partnerships – law firms/ community organisation Pro bono work + learning and teaching outcomes = an optimum practice-based learning experience Need: Professional supervision Structure and learning outcomes Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebroid

The student learning experience Induction training Interviews Legal research Drafting Fact sheets Feedback Personalised feedback & model answers Discussion in clinic Surveys – reflection & review

Challenges for pro bono teaching clinics Funding Adequate staffing, supervision and space Location and structure of projects Should student participation be required or voluntary? Relationship between clinical courses and pro bono projects Enthusiasm of law deans and faculties and rewarding the efforts of student leaders/staff. Image from gettyimages

A work in progress Bond Law Clinic – 4 years Evidence of success – students, university, lawyers, community Growth in number of clinics Perceived 13%increase in graduate capabilities in students

University run pro bono clinics - an untapped resource? National pro Bono Centre Australia advocates pro bono in law schools - lack of pro bono clinics Need more targeted qualitative research and a structured approach in universities The Pay-off Developing altruism and employability skills in law students Community benefits Teaching and learning outcomes

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