Project Objective & Brief Description: |
The project developed legal clinic education at the Belarus State University to improve training of law students through their provision of free of charge legal consultations for the poor. Since opening in 2000, the clinic has provided assistance to more than 1,000 underprivileged individuals, and more than 50 students have been involved in the clinic's work.
The clinic is staffed by volunteers who have been selected from amongst the students of the law faculty of Belarus State University. They work under the supervision of professional lawyers and teachers of law. "Acting as a part of the internship programme for students, the Clinic provides legal services to low-income citizens, who cannot afford a professional lawyer," explains Anatoly Voitik, the Clinic's director. "Free provision of legal advice to low-income citizens sensitises students to the important role of the legal profession in society."
"[Another] benefit of the legal clinic," continues Voitik, is that it enable students to acquire the practical skills that will be of use to them in their professional careers. Law students not only supplement the academic process by linking theory to practice, but also instil the feeling of responsibility for the fate of their clients."
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