First meeting within the International Network of Law Clinics
On October 17, 2024, the first meeting of the International Network of Students' Law Clinics took place - simultaneously in Gdansk and Johannesburg. The network was officially established in July this year under an agreement signed in Gdańsk between representatives of the Law Clinic of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and the Student Legal Clinic at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk. This year, more foreign partners will join the international network.
The establishment of the International Network of Law Clinics is the result of a 3-year, fruitful cooperation between our Faculty and the partner Faculty of Law of the University of Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa (in the latest edition of the International Times Higher Education ranking, the University of Johannesburg ranks 401-500 in the world, in the "law" category - 201-250 in the world!).
The Students' Law Clinic at the University of Johannesburg boasts over 50 years of history. In addition to the invaluable legal assistance provided pro bono, the Clinic has written an important page in the history of the fight against apartheid ideology. Every UoJ law student is required to be involved in the clinic's activities. This allows for the provision of legal assistance on a large scale, as well as support for the future professional career of law students and the discovery of the greatest talents.
Cooperation with our foreign partners from South Africa has allowed us to see that in the work of the clinics from Johannesburg and Gdańsk we encounter similar issues and problems. Interestingly, they do not only concern strictly legal issues, but also those related to the tactics and strategy of legal matters, professional ethics and the extremely important issue of relations with the client - i.e. also matters related to the so-called soft skills. In these areas, we see great potential for the development of international cooperation.
The first meeting of students and supervisors of both Law Clinics was opened by: Prof. Kathleen van der Linde - Acting Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Johannesburg and Assoc. Prof. Dr. habil. Marcin M. Wiszowaty - Vice-Dean for International Cooperation and Development of the Faculty of Law and Administration, UG.
The meeting concerned two case-studies: in Constitutional Law (a case presented by students from South Africa) and a complex case concerning the use of photovoltaic panels on the balcony of a client of a clinic (a case presented by students from our Faculty).
The first case – related to Constitutional Law – sparked a great discussion on the foundations of law, including - the standards of the rule of law - which are similar on an international scale, with a significant impact on the interpretation and application of constitutional law.
We looked at the case that is currently heating up emotions in public discussion in South Africa - through the prism of South African and Polish Constitutional Law.
Students from both countries found many similarities and proposed both solutions and changes in the law that would allow a similar situation to be avoided in the future.
The second case concerning the installation of photovoltaic panels on the balcony of an apartment became a source of discussion on the strategy of legal services and the proper understanding of the tasks of a lawyer. Lawyers must remember that it is the client who should (if possible) win the case, not the lawyer representing him, which does not always mean the same thing. The legal service strategy should take into account various scenarios, but above all the good of the client, who will have to bear its costs in the event of losing the case in court.
The application of a pro-community approach allowed students from South Africa and Poland to jointly develop an optimal solution to the case that would be beneficial not only to the client, but to the entire community.
The online meeting scheduled for 1 hour lasted almost 3 hours! It was full of discussions and questions from both sides. The fact that Poland and South Africa are located in the same time zone was a great convenience. Students learned that such sessions lasting until late in the evening are also part of a lawyer's work.
In the coming months, we plan to gradually expand our International Network of Legal Clinics to include representatives of other partner Faculties of Law from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia, and to create substantive teams dealing with specific areas of law. The Network will support further initiatives in the field of academic international cooperation of our Faculty.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their involvement in the establishment and activities of the Network to the students belonging to both Clinics and to the members of the academic staff of both partner law faculties: Ms. Natasha Naidoo (Head of the Law Clinic at the University of Johannesburg), Mr. Elton R. Hart (Advocate and Coordinator of the Law Clinic at the University of Johannesburg), Prof. Eesa Fredericks (Deputy Director of the Research Center for Private International Law in Emerging Countries), Dr. Maciej Mikliński (Head of the Student Legal Advice Clinic at the Faculty of Law and Administration UG), Assoc. Prof. Dr. habil. Marcin M. Wiszowaty (Vice-Dean for International Cooperation and Development of the Faculty of Law and Administration UG).
We would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Deans of both Faculties - Prof. Kathleen van der Linde and Assoc. Prof. Dr. habil. Wojciech Zalewski - without whose kind support the implementation of our project would not have been possible.
We invite and encourage our students to get involved in the work and initiatives of the International Network of Students' Law Clinics!
