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Practical experience for law students examined

27 July 2005

More than 120 national and international delegates discussed clinical legal education, ethical awareness and community service at a conference in Melbourne hosted recently by Monash's Law School and Northumbria University in the UK.

Justice educators, clinical legal educators, legal aid lawyers and legal ethicists examined the challenges and opportunities facing clinical legal education at the 'Flowers in the desert' conference earlier this month.

Clinical legal education gives law students practical experience.

The conference co-convenor and head of Monash Law School's clinical program, Associate Professor Adrian Evans, told the conference that three processes and values -- clinical legal education, legal ethics and community service -- needed to be included in the mix of legal education.

"This will produce lawyers who are more likely to value justice, rather than those who are simply looking to create wealth," Dr Evans said.

"Clinical legal education allows students to obtain hands-on practical experience, which is more likely to produce lawyers with a conscience.

"It puts them in touch with real clients and allows them to make a contribution to society by providing legal assistance to those who can't afford to pay for it and might otherwise take the law into their own hands," he said.

Dr Evans said he was pleased so many people had come together to discuss these important issues.

"People travelled from all over the globe to attend the conference, from countries such as South Africa, the UK, the US, Nigeria, Canada, Japan, China, Israel and Norway," he said.

Law dean Professor Arie Freiberg said the conference provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas relating to innovative clinical education programs.

"The conference also allowed the Monash Law School to highlight our commitment to clinical legal education, during this, our 30th year of providing this form of education," Professor Freiberg said.

"I'm very pleased to have been involved in this forum, which has made an important contribution to the debate and scholarship relating to clinical endeavour."