The revised curriculum template adds a component of the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) to the fundamental law curriculum of all law schools across the country. The two-unit course introduces students to practical skills and allows for limited practice according to court rules (student rule of practice). This training may include the preparation and submission of pleadings and documents to the courts, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution methods, legal advice, court appointments, training, internships and internship programs. Established in 1993 under Republic Act No. 7662, “is an independent government agency responsible for regulating legal education in the Philippines.” The need for capacity building of law students has been a key focus of education reform to prepare them for practice. With the question from A.M. No. 19-03-24-SC Rule 138-A Law Student Practice, also known as the Revised Rule of Law Student Practice (Revised Rule), the Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP) has been institutionalized as a mandatory training for those who wish to join the Bar Association. Contact the nearest university where they can get free legal assistance and advice. Gesmundo stated that the CLEP website “will now provide a platform to showcase model legal clinics and CLEP best practices that will certainly provide guidance and inspiration to those of us who are still in the infancy of our clinical legal education.” The opening ceremony took place in the presence of USLS Fr. Normady Dujunco FSC, Vice Chancellor for Mission and Development, members of the judiciary and judicial staff, officials and members of the IBP, colleagues in the legal profession and civilian members of the community.
INL Director Kelia Cummins, meanwhile, stressed the importance of the programme, stating: “With the inclusion of the Clinical Legal Education Programme course in legal studies curricula, students can now benefit from practical experience and expand their professional networks – while providing essential legal services to real clients. Former Commissioner and Judge Zenaida Elepaño, President of the Integrated Bar Association of the Philippines Burt Estrada, Dean Gemy Lito Festin as President of the Philippine Association and President of the Association, Dean Maria Soledad Deriquito-Mawis and Kenneth Bayudan as President of the Philippine Law Students` Association, as well as other deans and professors of the legal education community, also participated in the online introduction. The CLEP website aims to feature news, announcements, editorials and reflection articles, literary articles and stories on access to justice, legal assistance and clinical legal education from the wide range of CLEP stakeholders. Law schools, organizations and individuals are invited to share their stories through this website. The Council for Legal Education, in collaboration with the Supreme Court Oversight Committee in the implementation of Revised Rule 138-A and the Philippine Association of Law Schools (PALS), as well as with the support of the Asia Foundation and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State, is hosting the 1st Philippine Summit on Clinical Legal Education, a hybrid event that will take place from December 1-3, 2022. This is open to all Philippine law schools, partner organizations and communities for legal aid as well as legal aid service providers. The LIC is one of five (5) legal clinics at the UP College of Law that offers different pathways for experiential study of law graduates. This is the specific place for articling students who want to prepare for the practice of the law firm when they have become full-fledged lawyers.
The University of Saint La Salle (USLS) – Bacolod unveiled its program of legal assistance services by law practitioners (LSP) in the presence of Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of the Regional Court of First Instance (RTC) and officers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) – Chapter Negros Occidental. A total of thirty-three (33) language service providers are undergoing training and capacity building this year as part of the USLS Law Center (ULC) Clinical Legal Education and Legal Aid Program under the University`s Faculty of Law. The Chair of the Council for Legal Education, Anna Marie Melanie Trinidad, thanked for the support received, noting that “as legal educators […] They owe it to the students to develop a program adapted to the time. She also highlighted the societal benefits that this program would bring by improving access to justice to ensure that “those who have less in life have more in the law.” Supervise your students with important information about cleP and connect with community members who need legal help. ULC Attorney and Director Johnnil Fatima Acero, a graduate of USLS Law School, gave a brief explanation of the basic legal services that can be provided by certified language service providers and also appointed the first group of supervising lawyers, including Jocelle Batapa Sigue (clinical professor), Leanne Mari Torrato, Hazelmer Fernandez and Bebelan Madera. “The revised model program we are officially launching today is a crucial step towards the bar-centric approach. I hope everyone in the legal education community understands the importance of adopting the revised model curriculum: it is the Filipino legal education community that is taking a stand and sending an unequivocal message that from now on, legal education will be primarily student- and social-centered, as it should be,” he said. (4) draft legal documents such as affidavits, compromise agreements, contracts, letters of formal notice, position papers, etc.; This modernized legal education was discussed by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo at the online launch last Thursday, October 14, by the Legal Education Council () of its Revised Model Law Curriculum (RMLC) website and Clinical Legal Education Program (CLEP).
CLEP truly learns during service and enhances law students` learning opportunities by giving them the value of legal professional social responsibility and preparing law students to practice law. The revised rule for CLEP comes into force at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year. CLEP provides students with the necessary skills for their subsequent legal practice and socially conscious values for their role in the community. It complements the knowledge acquired during three (3) years of teaching-learning experience at the college. Through the program, students gain a real and practical understanding of legal practice by being “directly and personally” involved in dealing with legal issues and situations. “Legal education is a pillar that, along with legal education, maintains the strengthening of the Philippine legal system. Needless to say, the Supreme Court is very interested in improving the standards of legal education in our country,” he said. Executive Judge Javier welcomed this development and commended the USLS College of Law for its efforts to address the need for accessible legal services and recognizes the crucial role of the UsLS Law Center in promoting the administration of justice. Legal education in this country will now focus on the “practical preparation” of law students, rather than focusing on passing bar exams.
The OLA administers the college`s clinical training program. It provides free legal assistance to poor litigants and handles matters of public interest. Final year law students are expected to devote 126 hours of practicum to handling cases in which they interview clients, draft oral arguments and pleadings, and appear in court under the supervision of a lawyer.