Street Law as a Clinical Program

Abstract

Street law is a clinical law program which trains law students to provide lay people with information about the law and how it can be used in daily life. The program was founded at Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 1972, and introduced at the University of Natal, Durban as a credit course in 1987. The South African program was designed to enable final-year law students to make school children, prisoners and other communities aware of their legal rights during the apartheid era. As lectures are the least effective means of teaching people, street law students are trained to use a wide range of interactive teaching methods including mock trials that involve large numbers of participants. Students are trained in how to design lesson plans and incorporate the elements of an effective street law lesson. The course at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is graded using a practical examination; a reflective journal that includes lesson plans, school reports and reflective essays; and a mock trial package. The street law program provides law students with an opportunity to experience social justice in the real world while rendering a service to society and obtaining valuable insights into their potential as future lawyers.