5th Teaching & Education Conference, Amsterdam

DEVELOPMENT OF LEGAL CLINICS AS A NEW EDUCATIONAL MODEL FOR THE FACULTY OF LAW OF AFYON KOCATEPE UNIVERSITY

AYŞE KILINÇ, ALTAN FAHRI GÜLERCI, MEHMET HATIPOĞLU

Abstract:

Recently, a renewed pursuit of finding alternative methodsin legal education is the case both in Turkey and the world. In this context, it is safe to say that the education method which involves “law school clinics” or “legal clinics” is widely adopted by faculties of law and law students as an alternative to classical legal education. This method was first used in the United States of America and it is now available in many states along with Turkey in several forms. A legal clinic, law clinic or law school clinic offers methods in which the law students find the chance to have an insight about the integration of theoretical knowledge in practice. In other words, this method allows the law students to personally and actively apply the theoretical knowledge they have been taught in the faculty. Thus, law students would not just be candidates of law who hold theoretical knowledge only, but also would be candidates of law who can apply such knowledge in practice, and who are equipped with occupational know-how and skills. Since it was founded, our faculty tries to offer several legal clinic teaching models in addition to classical law education. Nevertheless, law students of the faculty tried to practice several other methods of legal clinic teaching as part of the Scientific Research Program of the University during the academic year of 2017-18 in order to ensure active use of legal clinic teaching in the Faculty of Law of AfyonKocatepe University. Legal clinic practices that our students performed in accordance with the project, will be presented in this study.

Keywords: legal education, legal clinic, law faculty, law school clinic

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