1. A Practice-Based Approach: Improving Law Student Employability Skills in the Context of a Pro Bono Teaching Clinic
Dr Francina Cantatore, Centre for Professional Legal Education, Bond University Australia

2. The Bond Law Clinic Program
Pro Bono volunteer opportunities for Law students in 6 Clinics:
Commercial Law Clinic
Community Law Clinic
Criminal Law Clinic
Human Rights Clinic
Immigration Law Clinic
Start-up Law Clinic

3. Case study: The Bond Commercial Law Clinic

4. Main objectives Promote community service/volunteering opportunities
Provide practice-based learning opportunities for students to increase employability skills
Provide a free public legal service
Encourage lawyers to engage in pro bono activities and mentoring program

5. 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?

6. Structure
4 Integral components

7. 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

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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. Bond Commercial 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:

13. 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

14. A work in progress Bond Law Clinic Program – 4.5 years
Evidence of success – students, university, lawyers, community
Growth in number of clinics
Perceived 16%increase in graduate capabilities in students

15. 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 for
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

16. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING ANY QUESTIONS?