graphic with three hexagons; stating skills, education, ability
If Suits was set in England, Mike Ross never would have made it to Cliff ord Chance’s offi ces. Not least because of the suspicious suitcase, but because he had one major fl aw throughout the whole series. There’s no use in knowing legal authorities if you have no ability to apply it to the context of the case, person, or situation - that’s what diff erentiates a law student from a lawyer.
During my own research I found the traditional dissertation route to graduating university to be very unfulfi lling and oversaturated. On account of the client facing work and genuine impact, the Clinical Legal Education module really stuck out to me, particularly the Wills, Trusts, and Estates Clinic. The support students get is unparalleled to any other module I had; weekly seminars helped us socialise as a group, our clinic lead checked in with us, and we had an array of supervising solicitors who were always quick to respond to our questions. The CLE module benefi ts everyone involved: the clients get free legal advice on their pressing matters, the partnered law fi rms engage in pro-bono work, and lastly, the student clinicians are able to start applying theoretical legal knowledge to real-life problems. This level of supervision made me realise how collaborative legal practice is, as opposed to the individualised nature of academic study.
Some 90% of clinics accordingly identify themselves as access to justice providers according to a seminar by Gráinne Mckeever. While the legal system is, in theory, open - court hearings are often public or even recorded - this does not necessarily translate into meaningful access for individuals. In practice, barriers such as cost, language, and emotional strain often prevent people from seeking formal legal advice, particularly in sensitive areas like wills and estates. People often get turned away from legal advice since they’re usually about to come into a sum of money from wills or trusts. The consequence of this is someone who doesn’t know where to turn next, and resorts often to informal sources or the government website, which is challenging to navigate. The Clinics are often a fi rst point of contact for such people, where emotional management and soft skills are just as important as legal knowledge. I understood that the legal support given to a client also included meeting them where they are.
The CLE module has been a satisfying end to my university experience. It reshaped my understanding of what it means to ‘know’ the law - not as something to memorise, but as something to apply with care and empathy. Working with real clients showed me that legal knowledge alone is insuffi cient; it must be paired with communication, judgement, and an awareness of one’s professional limits. In that sense, the role of a student clinician is not to solve problems outright, but to guide clients through them, as I have come to understand. It’s not a push, but a considered nudge in the right direction without the assurance of being a qualifi ed lawyer yet.