Combining community empowerment and clinical legal education: the Scottish University Land Unit

Abstract

For two years an initiative called the Scottish University Land Unit has partnered volunteer law students with an existing support agency that brings law students (with academic support) together with communities in Scotland seeking empowerment opportunities through access to local land or buildings. Drawing on the information and experience garnered over that period of operation, this paper will offer some reflections on the early life of the Scottish University Land Unit – or SULU – and also highlight the scheme to an international audience. It does this by giving an overview of existing scholarship and highlights the potential clinical benefits a student who engages with clinical legal education might gain, before giving an overview of the contemporary context and law relating to community empowerment and land reform in Scotland. Next, it will detail how SULU brings together the complementary goals of student development and serving the community. Lastly, this paper will conclude with a discussion on the future of SULU, and by offering some insights that may inspire similar schemes in different sectors or jurisdictions.