Abstract
Various research has given valuable insights into the positive role of Clinical Legal Education (CLE). However, there is a dearth of empirical data reviewing the set-up of CLE in public law schools in Malaysia and assessing its role as a teaching and learning strategy in legal education. This paper summarises the development and structure of the Faculty of Syariah and Law's Legal Clinic pilot initiative at the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). It assesses the impacts of the initiative on students' learning experience. The assessment involved a content analysis of written feedback given by a batch of pioneer students selected to join the FSU Legal Clinics pilot project in 2019. The findings indicated that the students believe exposure to the legal clinic increases their comprehension of the law's application and provides awareness of the professional skills and values involved in the legal profession. The sample is small, and the findings are preliminary. However, it is hoped that the results will inform legal curriculum developers of the benefits that law students derived from their clinical experience and provide a basis for further research into formally including clinical legal education in the FSU legal curriculum. This paper also advocates that although setting up, planning and organising activities for a successful legal clinic involved a great deal of preparation, it would benefit students and be integral to teaching and learning strategy in legal education in FSU USIM.
Highlights
The bulk of the law schools’ curricula in Malaysia still relies on passive learning methods, which usually includes traditional lectures and assigned readings or case reviews, and such an approach was often criticised for being excessively theoretical (Bratt, 1977; Mohr and Rodgers, 1973; Shaffer and Redmount, 1977)
The Faculty of Syariah and Law (FSU), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), in 2019, having considered these insights, undertook to implement the idea by initiating a legal clinic managed by students. 13 students in their third year of study were chosen as pioneers
It is hoped that the results can be used to inform legal curriculum developers of the benefits that law students derive from their clinical legal education (CLE) experience and provide a basis for further research to include CLE into the FSU legal curriculum formally
Summary
The bulk of the law schools’ curricula in Malaysia still relies on passive learning methods, which usually includes traditional lectures and assigned readings or case reviews, and such an approach was often criticised for being excessively theoretical (Bratt, 1977; Mohr and Rodgers, 1973; Shaffer and Redmount, 1977). CLE acts as an alternative towards a more active learning strategy, which recognises the important link between legal education and how the law in action works in a particular legal system. 36 - 46 | June 2021 in law offices created by law schools for this purpose) under the supervision (systematic, critical analysis of student work) of a lawyer/ law teacher". According to Condlin, each element is important, and any missing element weakens the claim that instruction is clinical. While another commentator, Wizner (2002), summed it up as an educational law office whereby students are required to demonstrate competence in practice and reflect on the purpose of the training and its relevance to the law as taught and read in the legal texts
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