Mooting and Clinical Legal Education in Pakistan: Opportunities and Challenges
Abstract
Legal education has over the past few years moved away from doctrinal teaching to experiential and skills-based education worldwide. However, an education based on lectures only and theory has been the traditional method used in legal education in Pakistan. Moot court exercises and clinical legal education (CLE), have become useful tools that can help to close the gap between theory and practice. Mooting involves, training in legal advocacy, legal research, drafting and analysis skills, whereas clinical legal education involves delivering legal services and skills of clinical, social justice training. Since then, the Supreme Court's efforts on legal education and the Pakistan Bar Council Legal Education Rules have given a new lease on life to legal education which has recently placed greater emphasis on experiential learning in law schools in Pakistan. However, the institutional disadvantage, poor infrastructure, lack of trained faculty, less resources and lack of a holistic clinical framework are still challenges in the effective implementation process. The paper critically analyses the role of mooting and Clinical Legal Education in Pakistan in terms of its evolution and pedagogical value, the opportunities it provides to students and the challenges it faces in Pakistan. Based on current research and international experience, the study contends that the combination of mooting with clinical pedagogy in the traditional classroom environment can make a significant contribution to the enhancement of key skills involving professional knowledge, ethical behavior and access to justice. The paper concludes by recommending certain reforms to ensure bolstering of experiential legal education and to provide a legal education in Pakistan in line with the international standard.
Keywords: Clinical Legal Education, Moot Court, Experiential Learning, Legal Education, Pakistan, Advocacy Skills, Access to Justice.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20810072
