Towards Clinical Sustainability from Evolution to Revolution: A Study of Sustainable Factors for Law Clinics
| Author | Cosmos Nike Nwedu |
| Published date | 01 July 2019 |
| Date | 01 July 2019 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/2322005819840109 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Towards Clinical Sustainability from
Evolution to Revolution: A Study of
Sustainable Factors for Law Clinics
Cosmos Nike Nwedu1
Abstract
Clinical legal education (CLE) has grown from country-specific concept to a widely feted global practice
with a high degree of momentum and acceptability. There is an increasing profound interest from
universities, law schools, law academics and researchers, non-governmental organizations and students
alike towards mainstreaming this concept. A growing body of literature designed around different
creativities, ideas and methodologies aimed at expanding its scope of operability, values and rationales
has sufficed. Nonetheless, there is a little strand of academic literature on the sustainability of CLE in
all respects. While the question of whether CLE has come to stay may seem axiomatic, it however
depends on certain critical sustainable factors. Thus, it makes sense to consider in what ways law clinics
can bring a sustained clinical legal practice. This article takes a forward-looking approach by exploring
critical sustainable factors considered as crucial accelerators for wheeling clinical pedagogy in growth
motion and driving the effectiveness of law clinics and clinical activities. The study provides a framework
for ensuring not only that the rationalistic status quo of CLE is maintained but also offers a futuristic
context in fostering clinical movement and activities and ensuring inclusiveness.
Introduction
The movement and study of clinical legal education (CLE)2 have undergone a signicant change recently.
This began with initial fascination in mainstreaming the concept to a focus on a broad range of increasingly
practical justice initiatives and programmes of different magnitudes and impacts. Currently, CLE has
1 Department of Sociology, Psychology, and Criminology and Security Studies, Faculty of Management and Social Sciences,
Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
2 In this study, CLE is not applied interchangeably or in its usual general sense but strictly refers only to the clinical pedagogy as a
course in legal education. This categorically means that it does not imply a law clinic per se nor does it intrinsically imply clinical
programmes or activities.
Asian Journal of Legal Education
6(1–2) 43–56, 2019
© 2019 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
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DOI: 10.1177/2322005819840109
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Corresponding author:
Cosmos Nike Nwedu, Department of Sociology, Psychology, and Criminology and Security Studies, Faculty of
Management and Social Sciences, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki, Ebonyi
State, Nigeria.
E-mail: cosmosnike.nwedu@gmail.com
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