Clinical Legal Education

Clinical Legal Education

“I interviewed with a couple of the big five law firms and have received offers from both of them. Basically, I believe that it was due to my work placement last year. They were really interested in the work I carried out and it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate that I could work on my own initiative outside of the lecture theatre. As I said before, it was an invaluable work experience and definitely a major stepping stone.”

“I really think having participated in the clinical placement programme was a big factor in getting a job as a Legal Researcher with the Northern Ireland Law Commission so I wanted to thank you for that opportunity. I hope the programme continues to be successful and students get as much out of it as I did.”

These two comments from former participants in the School of Law’s Clinical Legal Education programme illustrate its great track record of success since it started in 2006-2007. Final year undergraduate students across the law programmes use their legal skills in placements with government agencies, quasi- and non-governmental organisations and with practicing lawyers. They work on a part-time basis instead of taking an additional subject and receive academic credit for their efforts. In so doing, students get to see how the theoretical legal concepts they learn about in the lecture theatre operate in the “real world.” Among others, students work with the Director of Public Prosecutions, Community Law and Mediation, with leading law firms in Galway and across Ireland, as well as with barristers who specialise in a number of different areas. The placements provide students with great experience and, in many instances, a chance to see how law can be an effective tool for advancing the public interest. Participation in the Clinical Legal Education module has been cited by numerous students over the years as a standout element of their legal education and as the springboard to a successful career in the law.

The School of Law’s Clinical Legal Education programme has been profiled in the local media, in Engage magazine and in the Irish Farmers Journal. The programme, which is directed by Larry Donnelly, a Boston attorney and Lecturer in the School of Law, was previously a finalist for the prestigious MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Larry Donnelly directly at larry.donnelly@universityofgalway.ie.