About clinical legal education
Clinical legal education (although also used outside the law) is a didactic approach based on practical learning through experience, most often by solving real social problems in cooperation with the local community, non-governmental organisations or public institutions.
Purpose and Scope of the Training
The purpose of the training was to expand participants' knowledge of best practices in clinical teaching, including the organisational, didactic and social aspects of clinic operation (including law clinics) and other forms of practical education based on cooperation with the local community.
Mixed Teams in Action – Towards Mutual Understanding
The training was aimed not only at individuals with legal education, but also at representatives of other disciplines interested in experiential learning and supporting its implementation within universities. The event was attended by students, administrative staff and researchers. For some tasks, the participants swapped roles, with a researcher taking on the role of a student. This allowed for greater mutual understanding and empathy.
Workshop Programme
The programme included, among other things:
- workshops on active clinical teaching methods,
- soft skills training and
- panel discussions devoted to the exchange of experiences and best practices between representatives of universities from various countries.
Examples of solutions developed by the participants
The solutions developed by the participants included, among other things:
- an app for children that informs them about their rights,
- a tool that supports people with dyslexia in understanding legal texts and court instructions,
- an activity that would encourage young people to be active citizens, particularly in voting.
Lodz Law Clinic – an example of good practice
The presentation of the Lodz Law Clinic, one of the oldest initiatives of its kind in Poland, led by Professor Małgorzata Król (the founder and long-time director of the Clinic) and Dr Paweł Łabieniec (current director) was a special highlight of the programme. Participants also had the opportunity to listen to a presentation by students about their experiences working at the Law Clinic and learn about best practices implemented as part of the clinical help-desk programme at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, a member of the YUFE Alliance.
International Cooperation within UNIC
The workshop was a part of activities implemented under Thematic Line 4: Justice, Security and Institutions. The meeting was not only to develop teaching skills but also to strengthen inter-university cooperation in the areas of practice-based learning and social engagement.
The significance of the event for the University of Lodz
For the University of Lodz, this event was a unique opportunity to exchange experiences, promote long-standing traditions of clinical teaching and strengthen the University of Lodz's position within the international UNIC Alliance, which brings together universities from post-industrial cities that jointly explore new models of education and engage in cooperation with their social environment.
The event organisers and participants
The event was organised by Dr Izabela Florczak, mgr Anna Fijałkowska-Owczarek and Dr Paulina Łabieniec, while the training part was led by Dr Przemysław Kubiak and Dr Magdalena Ustaborowicz.
The training was attended by representatives of UNIC Alliance partner universities:
- University College Cork (Ireland),
- Koç University in Istanbul (Turkey),
- University of Deusto in Bilbao (Spain/Basque Country),
- University of Zagreb (Croatia),
as well as the hosts from the University of Lodz.
The project "We are UNIC!" is funded by the European Union under the programme "Support for European University Alliances", NAWA project FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23, EU’s funding amount PLN 62,705,297.60.
