The Legal Clinic should participate in the integrated system of providing free legal help to people in need.
Basic Facts
- Organiser: Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
- Organisation members: students of the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb
- Project background: The Legal Clinic started its activities in October 2010
Mission
The Legal Clinic at the University of Zagreb believes that for the development of modern society it is necessary to ensure adequate protection of its most sensitive and most troubled individuals.
The Legal Clinic believes that education in the field of law is more than just knowing and understanding regulations and theories of the legal system. Legal education includes acquiring knowledge and practical skills but also the awareness of students on the fact that their active involvement in solving difficult legal and social problems faced by the citizens is a key contribution to society and social development.
The Legal Clinic participates in the integrated system of providing free legal help to persons who have a justified need for such help and cannot achieve it any other way or persons who in order to achieve it would have to spend funds which are necessary for their living costs or the costs of living of persons under their legal care.
The Legal Clinic serves a dual purpose. On one hand, through participation in the work of the Legal Clinic the students involved in its work acquire direct experience on the functioning of legal institutions in their social context, strengthen the knowledge on the application of legal provisions in legal practice and acquire specific practical skills necessary to identify the problem, choice and processing of a case, receiving instructions from parties and mentors, and choosing the best strategy for representing their interests.
On the other hand, the Legal Clinic should participate in the integrated system of providing free legal help to people in need. In this sense, the goal is for students to provide legal help in accordance with the ethics and rules of the profession, thus contributing to the system of providing legal help for all. Within this second goal, the clinic should sensitize and support the students who are leaning towards legal representation for public interest, volunteer work and other forms of legal actions for general good and protection of underprivileged persons and social groups.
Both purposes of the Legal Clinic are complementary and should equally be taken into account in its work and activities.
