Collaborative Models for Law Graduate Employability & Community Service

1. Pro Bono Teaching Clinics: Collaborative Models for Promoting Law Graduate Employability Skills and Community Service Dr Francina Cantatore, Centre for Professional Legal Education, Faculty of Law, Bond University Australia

2. Clinical experience at Bond – 2 Options • Elective clinical subjects: • Clinical Legal Placement • Family Law Legal Practice Clinic • Litigation Clinic AND/OR • Volunteering: Bond Law Clinic - 6 Clinics https://bond.edu.au/intl/current-students/opportunities/bond-law-clinic-program

3. The Bond Law Clinic Program Pro Bono volunteer opportunities for Law students in 6 Clinics: • Commercial Law Clinic • Community Law Clinic • Criminal Law Clinic • Human Rights Clinic • Immigration Law Clinic • Start-up Law Clinic

4. How the Program works • Bond Faculty of Law - staff and students • Collaborations with local law firms & community organisations • Students deal with real clients & cases • Different clinic models – usually fortnightly

5. The Commercial Law Clinic • Held at Bond Faculty of Law • Free legal advice to small businesses and not-for-profits • Commercial and business law areas • Students interview clients, research, draft advice, network with lawyers

6. The Community Law Clinic • Held at the Gold Coast Community Legal Centre • Students: • deal with consumer issues, family law, employment law, general disputes • interview clients, research, draft advice

7. The Criminal Law Clinic • Held at the local Magistrates Court • Students: • gain practical work experience working alongside Police Prosecutors • obtain drafting experience on real briefs and submissions • provide volunteer service by assisting the local Police Services

8. The Immigration Law Clinic • Held at the Faculty of Law – students assisting lawyers and migration agents • The Clinic provides Pro bono assistance to: • persons with refugee status seeking to apply to sponsor their family members to Australia • persons seeking asylum in Australia • marginalised and disadvantaged persons holding a student visa • other vulnerable and financially disadvantaged persons seeking immigration advice

9. The Start-up Law Clinic • Collaboration between the Faculty of Law & the Bond Business entrepreneur Transformer Program • Students: • interview Transformer Entrepreneurs to understand their needs and issues • research and present lunch time sessions on start-up legal issues • gain practical work experience dealing with entrepreneurs and start-up founders • build connections with the Transformer Entrepreneurs

10. Case study: The Bond Commercial Law Clinic

11. Main objectives • Promote community service/volunteering opportunities • Provide practice-based learning opportunities for students to increase employability skills • Provide a free public legal service to small businesses and not-for-profits • Encourage lawyers to engage in pro bono activities and mentoring program

12. Structure 4 Integral components:

13. Operation of clinic • Clinic administrator books appointments • Operates fortnightly on Wednesday evenings • Academics supervise running of clinic • Lawyers supervise students in interviews • Clients – appointments with lawyers & students • Students: • Network with local law firms • Interview real clients under supervision of volunteer lawyers • Do legal research • Draft client advice & receive feedback from lawyers

14. The student learning experience • Induction training – volunteer handbook • Interviews & administration • Legal research • Drafting • Feedback • Personalised feedback & model answers • Discussion in clinic • Surveys – reflection & review • Fact sheets

15. Community engagement and employability Positive benefits for students • experiential learning > real clients and cases • promoting employability > communication skills, practical research skills, ethics & professionalism • promoting social responsibility > community service & pro bono experience • networking and mentoring opportunities

16. University run clinics - Australia • There are many successful university run law clinics in Australia, eg: • The Kingsford Legal Centre at the University of New South Wales - incorporates a number of different clinical subjects and is run by a staff solicitor • Flinders University, University of South Australia and University of Adelaide also adopt a similar model -involving legal academics with legal practice experience and current practising certificates • University of Queensland - Pro Bono Centre incorporates a number of different clinics in which students can enrol for academic credit

17. CLE v Pro Bono

18. Bond Law Clinics - utilizing a hybrid model • Overlap between CLE & Pro Bono • Community service setting • Creating a pro bono ethos in students • Partnerships with law firms/ community organisations • Pro bono work + learning and teaching outcomes = an optimum practice-based learningexperience Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebroid

19. Challenges for pro bono teaching clinics • Funding • Adequate staffing, supervision and space • Location and structure of projects • Should student participation be required or voluntary? • Relationship between clinical courses and pro bono projects • Enthusiasm of law deans and faculties is vital

20. A work in progress • Bond Law Clinic Program – 4.5 years • Evidence of success – students, university, lawyers, community • Community and profession support • Growth in number of clinics • Perceived 13%increase in graduate capabilities in students over 1 semester

21. University run pro bono clinics - an untapped resource? • National Pro Bono Centre Australia advocates pro bono in law schools • Lack of pro bono clinics • Lack of access to justice • A need for • more targeted qualitative research and • a structured approach in universities • The pay-off • Developing altruism & pro bono ethos in students • Increasing practice –based learning & employability skills • Community benefits Teaching and learning outcomes

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