In recent issues, the Bulletin has been focusing on clinical legal education programmes across Ireland, and the real impact these programmes are making the experience of learning law. This week, we focus on the Department of Law at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). DIT is committed to facilitating students to develop their understanding of the social context of law and the role of law in society. To this end, a module Law in Society has been developed by Dr Mary Rogan and offered to DIT's law students since 2010.
Law in Society takes a community-based learning approach in assisting students to develop their legal research, presentation and group work skills, while at the same time assisting a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in need of research support. A key focus is also on encouraging students to reflect on their responsibilities to clients and the importance of a professional mindset. The module aims, in line with its community-based learning philosophy, to allow students to use their legal skills in a 'real-world' context in such a way that a community partner receives the benefit of those skills and assists in the learning experience of students.
Students work together in collaboration with a community partner on a topic which that partner has sought legal research assistance on. Since 2010, students have been working with the Irish Penal Reform Trust, Ireland's leading non-governmental organisation campaigning for the rights of people in prison and the progressive reform of Irish penal policy. Students have worked on projects examining the alternatives to custody for children convicted of criminal offences and the profile of those convicted for the possession of drugs with the intention of selling or supplying them under sections 15 and 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. In both cases, the research brief was set by IPRT with students dividing up the tasks of research, presentation and production over one semester - even choosing to work on Friday evenings! As part of this year's project students also visited Merchant's Quay Ireland to find out about the effects of drug use and the impact of drug policy.
DIT teaching staff found that the commitment of students to the project was outstanding and from an educational point of view, there was a far greater degree of interest and concern for accuracy and deadlines than might be apparent in other forms of assessment.
IPRT was presented with extensive reports prepared by the students responding to the research brief, as well as an oral presentation of the findings. IPRT hopes to use these reports to advocate and campaign in the areas of youth justice and the sentencing for drug offences. Expressing IPRT's response to the research project undertaken by the DIT team, IPRT Executive Director Liam Herrick said:
"As a small NGO with limited research capacity, the contribution of high quality research work like this to our policy work is immense. As IPRT was able to feed into the design of the project we were able to ensure that the final output was directly relevant and valuable to a key area of our work."
Students were able to receive credit for their participation in the module and were assessed, as a group, on the written and oral presentations. Students also reflected on their contribution to the group, their learning, their understanding of the topic and the role of law in society.
Dr Rogan says, "This model of community-based learning for law students is particularly useful for those wishing to build up towards a full clinical legal education module or internships. Students use their legal research skills, learn to present to a client, work as a group and understand more about their professional and ethical responsibilities, while working within their academic institution and obtaining credit towards their qualification. Important connections between academic institutions and community-based organisations are also made, enabling third level bodies to fulfil their mission of public service.
In the coming academic year, Dublin Institute of Technology is looking forward to working with IPRT again and to deepening its links with the Public Interest Law Alliance."
Law in Society is supported by Dublin Institute of Technology's Students Learning with Communities programme and DIT's Department of Law says it is most appreciative of its assistance.
Check out our previous Bulletin articles on Clinical Legal Education at NUI Galway and University College Cork.