The International Journal of Human Rights

The International Journal of Human Rights

Short Hand Book on Report about Founding Law Clinic in Mozambique

Document Type : Research Article

Author
Professor, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Abstract
This article reports on the launch of a clinical legal education program at Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique, focusing on the experience in 2003. The author first describes the background to the initiative, the planning meetings, and the training workshops held with the participation of the Faculty of Law and the Center for Practical Legal Studies. The article then examines the proposed structure of the clinic in terms of its name, policies, dual objectives (providing legal services to community members and offering practical training to final-year law students), working model, timetable, staffing, and the division of students into four-person teams. Subsequent sections address the curriculum and training in practical skills (interviewing, counseling, case file management, referral, professional ethics, and prescription rules); relations with external bodies such as the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General, the Legal Aid Institute, the Bar Association, non-governmental organizations, and the Association of University Legal Aid Institutions; infrastructure and administration; publicity and fundraising. Finally, the article offers recommendations for a pilot project from March to November 2003 (limited to advice, referral, drafting of pleadings, representation, and negotiation on behalf of clients, with no court work), participation in conferences, trainer exchange with South African legal clinics, staff training, membership in the Association of University Legal Aid Institutions, and the preparation of a five-year action plan. The article concludes that, despite significant budgetary constraints, this initiative can play an important role in fostering a human rights–based and empathetic culture among Mozambican law students and lawyers.
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