1. Legal Clinics in the Czech Republic Maxim Tomoszek Martin Kopa Michal Urban

2. Legal Education in the Czech Republic  4 public law faculties, no private, except for PanEuropean University  5 years Masters programme  Charles University – very long tradition (1348); Brno - Masaryk Law – 1919-1950, 1969-; Olomouc – 1991-; Plzeň – 1993-;  Very conservative environment

3. History of legal clinics in Olomouc  1st clinic in CEE – 1996 in Olomouc (Ford Foundation, Hofstra, prof. Stefan Krieger)  Went on only to 1998, then restored in 2001, but with poor methodology  Serious re-start in 2006 – live-client clinics (the only in Czech Republic), specialized simulation clinics, street-law, moot courts, skills development

4. Prague Law School – conditions  Largest  Longest tradition  Lazyness caused by reputation

5. Prague Law School – humble beginnings  Asylum seekers clinic  Legal skill courses  Externships – courts, NGOs  Student law societies – Street Law, life-client

6. Prague Law School – after 2010  EU funded project Law for Practice  Legal skill courses  Externships  Legal literacy courses  Life-client clinics – challenge

7. Brno (Masaryk University)  Fall 2002 – Fall 2004: clinic focused on international protection of children  Fall 2006 – onwards: clinic focused on asylum and refugee law  2011 – onwards: “Theory-skills-practice: innovation of law studies” ECOP project (Institute of Legal Skills and Innovation Studies)  35 skills-oriented courses (6 clinics)  Co-operation with NGOs, Ombudsman’s Office, International Law Firms etc. in the form of externships  no “classical” live-client clinic at the law school  Best law school from the academic perspective in the judicial capital of the Czech Republic – idle clinical potential?

8. Pilsen (West Bohemian University)  2013/2014 – (probably) the first clinical course entitled “Clinical Legal Practice” at the Department of Forensic Psychology and Sociology  Live-client clinic led by two attorneys  Following Olomouc’s path (a married couple pioneering legal clinics at a law school with uncertain accreditation)?

9. Important factors  Insiders  Students  International support  Persistance  ESF  Enthusiasm

10. Specific elements of Czech situation  Low appreciation of social element of CLE  High appreciation of skills development  Concentration on legal professions only  Low sensitivity to professional ethics  Clinics are considered an experiment (just „the form“)  Opposed by the bar association  Unique situation in Olomouc is influencing other faculties

11. Questions?  martin.kopa@upol.cz martin.kopa@upol.cz  maxim.tomoszek@upol.cz maxim.tomoszek@upol.cz  urban.michal@centrum.cz urban.michal@centrum.cz