On-the-Job Training at Legal Clinics and the Social Significance of the Legal Profession

The right to receive professional legal counsel is guaranteed by Article 48 of the Russian Constitution, and in cases stipulated by law, such assistance is provided free of charge. This constitutional guarantee has been integrated into federal legislation and the legislation of Russia’s regions. Federal law stipulates that universities must have legal clinics that serve as participants in the non-governmental system of providing free legal assistance. The Russian Ministry of Justice has been assigned the coordinating role in the system of providing free legal assistance. Participating in the activities of legal clinics helps student lawyers realize the social significance of their chosen profession. Today, students provide free legal aid to numerous groups of the population under the guidance of experienced teachers, including participants in the special military operation and their family members. The challenges of our time require students of the legal profession to show responsibility and professionalism from their very first steps. This is only possible when the faculty and management of universities are actively involved in the work of legal clinics. At the very start of their legal career at legal clinics, students find themselves involved in socially significant matters and providing legal assistance to people in difficult life situations who need professional legal support. As the clinic administrators themselves note, working in a legal clinic enables people to understand their purpose and capabilities and set new professional goals, demonstrates the complexity and uniqueness of the legal profession, and reveals the importance of helping people. Despite being similar in appearance to volunteer activities, the provision of free legal assistance at legal clinics has its own specifics, since it requires clearly organizing and managing the activities of law students at a highly professional level. Combining the practical focus of the legal knowledge obtained at university and the social significance of working in a legal clinic creates new opportunities for the education and professional self-determination of students. How can we get law students involved in preventing crime and providing the public with a legal education? What kind of legal assistance can law students provide to people who have difficulties accessing the justice system? What ethical aspects of the legal profession should be taken into account in the work of legal clinics? How can law students become involved in monitoring law enforcement? How can we combine the efforts of law students, programmers, and psychologists to develop effective programmes?