1. Pro Bono Teaching Clinics: Collaborative Models for Promoting Law Graduate Employability Skills and Community Service
Dr Francina Cantatore, Centre for Professional Legal Education, Faculty of Law, Bond University Australia

2. Clinical experience at Bond – 2 Options
Elective clinical subjects:
Clinical Legal Placement
Family Law Legal Practice Clinic
Litigation Clinic
AND/OR
Volunteering: Bond Law Clinic - 6 Clinics

3. 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

4. How the Program works Bond Faculty of Law - staff and students
Collaborations with local law firms & community organisations
Students deal with real clients & cases
Different clinic models – usually fortnightly

5. The Commercial Law Clinic
Held at Bond Faculty of Law
Free legal advice to small businesses and not-for-profits
Commercial and business law areas
Students interview clients, research, draft advice, network with lawyers

6. The Community Law Clinic
Held at the Gold Coast Community Legal Centre
Students:
deal with consumer issues, family law, employment law, general disputes
interview clients, research, draft advice

7. The Criminal Law Clinic
Held at the local Magistrates Court
Students:
gain practical work experience working alongside Police Prosecutors
obtain drafting experience on real briefs and submissions
provide volunteer service by assisting the local Police Services

8. The Immigration Law Clinic
Held at the Faculty of Law – students assisting lawyers and migration agents
The Clinic provides Pro bono assistance to:
persons with refugee status seeking to apply to sponsor their family members to Australia
persons seeking asylum in Australia
marginalised and disadvantaged persons holding a student visa
other vulnerable and financially disadvantaged persons seeking immigration advice

9. The Start-up Law Clinic
Collaboration between the Faculty of Law & the Bond Business entrepreneur Transformer Program
Students:
interview Transformer Entrepreneurs to understand their needs and issues
research and present lunch time sessions on start-up legal issues
gain practical work experience dealing with entrepreneurs and start-up founders
build connections with the Transformer Entrepreneurs

10. Case study: The Bond Commercial Law Clinic

11. Main objectives Promote community service/volunteering opportunities
Provide practice-based learning opportunities for students to increase employability skills
Provide a free public legal service to small businesses and not-for-profits
Encourage lawyers to engage in pro bono activities and mentoring program

12. Structure
4 Integral components:

13. Operation of clinic Clinic administrator books appointments
Operates fortnightly on Wednesday evenings
Academics supervise running of clinic
Lawyers supervise students in interviews
Clients – appointments with lawyers & students
Students:
Network with local law firms
Interview real clients under supervision of volunteer lawyers
Do legal research
Draft client advice & receive feedback from lawyers

14. 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

15. Community engagement and employability
Positive benefits for students
experiential learning > real clients and cases
promoting employability > communication skills, practical research skills, ethics & professionalism
promoting social responsibility > community service & pro bono experience
networking and mentoring opportunities

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

17. 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 to students
Formal assessment procedures
Informal or no assessment
Specific learning and teaching outcomes
Informal feedback and reflective practices
Targeted pedagogical objectives
Limited pedagogical objectives

18. Bond Law Clinics - utilizing a hybrid model
Overlap between CLE & Pro Bono
Community service setting
Creating a pro bono ethos in students
Partnerships with law firms/ community organisations
Pro bono work + learning and teaching outcomes
= an optimum practice-based
learning experience
Image:

19. 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 is vital

20. A work in progress Bond Law Clinic Program – 4.5 years
Evidence of success – students, university, lawyers, community
Community and profession support
Growth in number of clinics
Perceived 13%increase in graduate capabilities in students over 1 semester

21. University run pro bono clinics - an untapped resource?
National Pro Bono Centre Australia advocates pro bono in law schools
Lack of pro bono clinics
Lack of access to justice
A need for
more targeted qualitative research and
a structured approach in universities
The pay-off
Developing altruism & pro bono ethos in students
Increasing practice –based learning & employability skills
Community benefits
Teaching and learning outcomes

22. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
ANY QUESTIONS?