Critique of an epitome practical role of law clinic in clinical legal education in Nigeria

• Author: Ayinla Lukman Alabi - Ope Sanni
• Position: Faculty of Law University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria Ph.D, (IIUM, Malaysia), LL.M (OAU, Ile-Ife, Nigeria), BL. (Abuja, Nigeria), LL.B. (Combined Hons., UDUS, Nigeria), Associate Professor (Reader) Faculty of Law, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
• Pages: 1-11

AGORA International Journal of Juridical Sciences, http://univagora.ro/jour/index.php/aijjs

ISSN 1843-570X, E-ISSN 2067-7677

No. 1 (2020), pp. 1- 11

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CRITIQUE OF AN EPITOME PRACTICAL ROLE OF LAW CLINIC IN

CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

A.L. ALABI, O. SANNI

Ayinla Lukman ALABI, Ope SANNI

Faculty of Law University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Ph.D, (IIUM, Malaysia), LL.M (OAU, Ile-Ife, Nigeria), BL. (Abuja, Nigeria), LL.B.

(Combined Hons., UDUS, Nigeria), Associate Professor (Reader) Faculty of Law, University

of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.

E-mail: lukmanayinla@gmail.com, opesanni4@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The old legal tradition of great / heavy reliance on theoretical legal learning

appeared hitherto the order of the day in Nigeria. Learning is a continuous process and

education is crucial for the passing of knowledge. Contemporarily, one of the most effective

methods of passing impactful legal education more effectively is vide Clinical Legal

Education (CLE). CLE was introduced into the Nigeria legal education space as a result of

the fact that learning in law faculties was essentially by the archaic (rote method) of teaching,

passing on few skills and inculcating no worthwhile values. A significant upshot of CLE is the

operation of law clinics. These law clinics serve as a bridge between the classroom and legal

practices. Apart from law students put into practical action on what they have learned in the

classroom, they also help the students to serve as a bastion of legal aid for the legally

disadvantaged by offering paralegal supports to a greater extent. This paper examines the

role and significance of law clinics in CLE, with particular focus on the University of Ilorin

Legal Aid Clinic. Through a doctrinal examination of the activities of the law clinic and its

achievements, the paper finds that law clinics do in fact contribute immensely to the

actualization of the goals of CLE. The paper further interrogates the challenges that militate

against the operation of law clinics and CLE in Nigeria and offers recommendations on how

they can be resolved. It is found that there is the urgent need to ensure practical

implementation of the mainstreaming of CLE in Nigerian law faculties to keep pace with

international best practices for the development of the legal profession in Nigeria.

KEYWORDS: Legal Aid, Clinical Legal Education, Law Clinic, Clinician and

Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of education, especially legal education, is to pass information and

instruction from teacher to student, with the ultimate purpose being to produce subsequent

sets of legal practitioners well equipped for practice. Many theories and models of education

have been developed to ensure the effective education. Unfortunately, many of these continue

to be inefficient and unsuitable to the effective actualization of the ultimate goal, to produce

multi-talented lawyers with deep skills.

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Elucidating on the troubling state of affairs, Adekoya, stated in her 2006 report at the

Summit on the Future of Legal Education that:

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B.A. Nsamenang, Teaching Methods, in B.A. Nsamenang & M.S.T. Tchombe, (eds) Handbook of Af rican

Educational Theories and Practices: A Generative Teacher Education Curriculum, Presses Universitaires

d’Afrique, Cameroon, 2011, pp. 289 – 302.