International Journal of Clinical Legal Education

Aims & Scope

The International Journal of Clinical Legal Education is an international peer reviewed open access journal devoted to the innovative field of clinical legal education including related activities such as public legal education. Papers and practice reports will be delineated by strand. Clinic, the University and Society: this strand addresses the role of clinic as an instrument for civic engagement, access to justice and societal change. Reviewed Articles in this strand will engage with the theory of clinic, relating to purpose, ideals and conceptualising the value that clinic offers to students, staff, the institution and wider society. These papers will explore the complex relationships between clinical education and social justice agendas, between university vision statements, student expectations and the demands of the legal profession. Practice reports in this strand will deal with procedures and governance for clinic development, partnership working within universities and beyond, including statutory and voluntary sectors and practical aspects of managing clinical work including attendant issues such as data management. Papers co-authored with partners and stakeholders are particularly welcomed. Teaching and Learning in Clinic : this strand investigates the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment used to prepare students for and support students during their clinical experience. Reviewed Articles in this strand will contribute to the wider pedagogic literature, contextualising on-going debates in education within the particular disciplinary and local contexts. They may contain detailed empirical explorations of the impact of particular learning environments, opportunities or processes. From a policy perspective, some papers may explore the tensions between legal education and preparation for practice as a lawyer. Practice reports in this strand will report innovative work, giving clear guidance for other practitioners who may wish to replicate their approach. Reports in this strand will typically include learner perspectives and we encourage co-authored papers with students. Research and Impact: this strand will focus on the evidence base for clinical education and will explore the weight of evidence and the knowledge claims. The issues will develop our sense of how secure our conception of the impact of clinic is by giving the rigorous presentation of a range of empirical data a strong critical and epistemological frame. Papers in this strand may therefore have a topic focus from another strand but the balance of the paper will be weighted towards an exploration of the research methods used (in a report of a particular empirical study) or of the balance of approaches to research in CLE (in a review of existing studies). Reviewed Articles in this strand will engage critically with the tools and methodologies used to investigate clinic and provide evidence about the unique opportunities and limitations afforded by these choices of research design. Practice reports in this strand will focus on single methods within on-going investigations of CLE, for example a review of the validity of a questionnaire used to tap into student experiences. Public Legal Education: this strand addresses the role of public legal education (PLE) as an instrument for community empowerment, access to justice and societal change. PLE is interpreted widely to include activities designed to educate members of the public on legal issues with aims such as improving legal capability and confidence and promoting social justice. This strand will also explore PLE pedagogy including design, delivery and assessment/evaluation for those who provide and receive PLE. Finally, it will focus on research providing an evidence base for the educational and impact claims of PLE. Reviewed Articles in this strand will engage with the theory of PLE and explore the value and complexity for those taking part (students, staff, Universities and members of the public) as well as wider society and justice considerations. Articles will contribute to wider pedagogic literature and provide an evidence base and evaluation of the methodology. Practice reports in this strand will consider design, development and dissemination of PLE initiatives. Reports may provide guidance to others and address practical considerations, explore collaborations and partnerships or offer learner perspectives.

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Source: OpenAlex · Each year’s green bar = citations earned by that year’s papers, counted to date — so recent years look lower simply because their papers haven’t had time to be cited yet.

Subject Classification