Presented by:Ms Patricia Atim P’OdongProf Christopher Mbazira

Ms Sandra OryemaPublic Interest Law Clinic (PILAC), S.O.L,

Makerere UniversityUganda

“ Clinics are important because they prepare law students to practice law by teaching them valuable skills such as fact-finding, investigation, interviewing and legal research and writing…law students learn these skills by undertaking projects or cases on behalf of individuals , always under faculty supervision and guidance. Students also develop a sense of social justice and empathy through their work with disenfranchised groups”

As per Jindal Global Law School & Cornell University

Vision “ A Legal profession alive to the social

justice needs of the vulnerable”

Mission “To promote social justice through legal

education, research, legal aid, public interest litigation and building strategic partnerships.”

Social justice is defined as "... promoting a just society by challenging

injustice and valuing diversity." It exists when "all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources." In conditions of social justice, people are "not to be discriminated against, nor their welfare and well-being constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group membership"

Professor Glendon states that

“lawyers have the power to favorably influence society’s ability to address the “great issues of the day because of the order affirming characteristics that traditional lawyers possess: an eye for the issue and the future, a feel for common ground, mastery of the legal apparatus, knowledge of legal architecture and procedure, problem solving skills, strong tolerance for others in adversarial situations, and an appreciation for incremental change”

Leadership and governance Social mobilisation Legislative advocacy Alternative dispute resolutions Legislators Progressive judicial officers Litigants who promote social justice/

legal aid service providers

Highlights of legal frameworks National – Articles 17 (b&c) 20,21,32,33

of the 1995 Constitution plus policies International - ICCRR, ICESCR, CRC,

CRPD, CEDAW Regional - ACHPR, MAPUTO PROTOCOL,

ACRWC

To enhance public interest lawyering skills among law students and legal practitioners;

  To build the resource and skills capacity of

PILAC;   To build strategic partnerships domestically,

regionally and internationally;   To undertake research on access to justice and

legal education; and   To promote access to justice through public

interest litigation and provision of legal aid services.

 

Guest and Public lectures Role plays, simulations and video

footages Internship placements Group assignments on legislative

advocacy and writing legal memos Community outreach and mobile legal

clinic Participating in moot courts Conferences and seminars

Referral systems are insufficient to address clients’ legal needs hence the need to establish the proposed legal aid unit

Overwhelming demand for legal aid services

Increased closure of space for civic engagement by Government curtailing freedoms of assembly and expression

University limited financial support of to the clinic

To establish the walk-in Legal aid unit to complement CLAPMOC and legal representation to clients who may need more than just advice, counseling or mediation

“ Through Legal clinics students become counselors, mediators, litigators, legislators, advocates, system change agents and educators as they learn to apply the legal knowledge they have gained in law school to their clients’ diverse concerns”

“CLE has had a positive impact on my life not only as a student but also as a person. As a student right from the classes in which guest lecturers where invited, to the conferences and finally CLAPMOC activities and the presentation of Memorandums, the CLE has really shaped me. I have learnt to think outside the box…be more analytical…through CLAPMOC my eyes have been opened to the needs of those next to me that why I hope to continue finding time to go for CLAPMOC visits to the community…the presentations have awakened my public speaking skills which were slowly disappearing”

As pers CLE Student, 2013