A Student Guide To Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono (Palgrave Macmillan 2011, eds Kevin Kerrigan and Victoria Murray) is a unique and ground-breaking student guide, written by the staff of Northumbria University's Student Law Office programme.
The focus of the book is distinctly practical and provides guidance for both lecturers and enthusiastic students looking to set up a pro bono clinic, as well as advice for law students on making the most out of the pro bono and clinical legal education experience. There are chapters devoted to establishing a legal clinic and the myriad of client funding issues which must be addressed. High-level topics such as the purpose and history of pro bono, and ethical concepts relating to pro bono are also addressed. However, the bulk of the book discusses and advises on the practical elements of legal clinic - such as interviews and advising, legal drafting, practical legal research, organisation and strategy, advocacy, presentations reflections and assessment. A website of supplementary material to the website is also available here.
Students are encouraged to focus on the long-term benefits of pro bono work to their career (such as the development of transferable skills) in the chapter "Clinic, pro bono and your career." This includes specific guidance to students about showcasing their clinical legal education experience to an employer.
In the book's foreword, former UK Attorney General The Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC PC comments that "pro bono is part of every good lawyer's DNA and the thirst to deliver justice for all who need it lies at its root." This attitude is at the heart of this very comprehensive book, which is squarely focused on the growing importance of clinical legal education to law students and pro bono more generally. The special attention given to the development of law clinic and/or pro bono programmes extends the book's appeal beyond readers who are fortunate enough to be involved with an existing, stable programme. This book is, therefore, an extremely relevant and useful text to Irish law schools and students.
PILA Manager Larry Donnelly, who is an expert in the theory behind and practice of clinical legal education and established the well-regarded clinical programme in the School of Law at NUI Galway, says that "the book is clearly a labour of love for its authors who are passionate about clinical legal education and lead one of the UK's premiere clinical programmes at Northumbria University Law School. The book is an interesting, informative and useful tool for those of us seeking to expand clinical legal education and pro bono in Irish law schools. In particular, the first chapter, 'What is clinical legal education and pro bono?,' is an eloquent and compelling espousal of why Irish law schools should embrace what has aptly been termed elsewhere 'the greatest single innovation in law school pedagogy - and certainly in student learning - since the science of the Socratic, case method was brought to Harvard by Christopher Columbus Langdell.' PILA will continue to engage with law schools to ensure the growth of clinical legal education and pro bono in Ireland."
Click here to find out more about or to purchase the book.
Click here to find out out more about Northumbria University's Student Law Office programme.