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Foreword
Introduction
Welcome to the Winter 2007 edition of  the International Journal of  Clinical Legal Education and
my apologies for the slightly late publication of  the Journal, which comes out just as we gear up
for the 2008 Cork IJCLE conference. The response to the Call for Papers for this conference has
been overwhelming, with papers from almost all the major clinical jurisdictions, including a series
of  papers from Central and Eastern Europe. I am obviously delighted to see the IJCLE conference
developing in its role as the major annual conference for clinicians to share experiences across
jurisdictions and for us as clinical teachers of  Law to share best practice and to develop in our roles
as we draw on the widest range of  models of  clinical practice and reflection.

This edition:
This edition brings together three papers from very different jurisdictions. Myrta Morales Cruz
uses her experience – and the experience of  her clinical students – in fighting expropriation of  land
in Puerto Rico through legislative change as a springboard for a wider reflection on the lawyering
process, and the lessons for clinics. It is always good to see Paulo Friere revisited. The principles of
empowerment must, it seems to me, always underpin our work as clinicians – after all, clinic is
itself  a model of  empowerment of  students, and thus an ideal opportunity for young lawyers to
reflect on the nature of  professionalism and the social (and political) expectations intrinsic in the
role that they are growing into. 

One of  the justifications for an international journal of  clinical education is that it serves to
analyse not only the contexts which are unique to each jurisdiction – and sometimes to each law
school – but also to identify what is common in the experiences of  clinicians. Like Morales Cruz’s
article, Willem de Klerk’s article similarly considers the different educational imperatives inherent
in clinical education – and uses his own experiences to consider the wider role of  clinic within the
South African context. There is much in the article that will strike a chord with clinicians in every
country – the ambiguous status of  clinic, the difficulty of  explaining who and what we are and what
we do – but it is also an article that is rooted in the unique South African experience. One telling
footnote makes the point about the difficult of  addressing problems in a context where there may
– in practice – be little effective implementation of  purely legal solutions.

In the last of  the pieces Liz Curran also considers clinical education and client empowerment, here
in the context of  her clinical programme at La Trobe in Australia – and looking at the potential for
law reform work in the Australian context. Curran argues that by giving the (otherwise)
marginalised in society a voice, law reform which is grounded in casework has a sense of  reality
which often sways hard-line decision-makers. Curran also, however reflects on the risks that may
arise from such case-work based law reform projects and argues that clinics provide one route by
which universities can play their role in the wider public life of  the community, as well as educating
students in the nature of  professional roles. 

Foreword

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Other matters:
This is my final edition of  the Journal as Editor. I am moving on within Northumbria University
to become Dean of  the Law School – a role that I am delighted to assume since it allows me to
continue to ensure that our clinical programmes remain central to everything that we do within the
School. I am equally delighted to be able to leave the Journal in the very capable hands of  my
colleague, Kevin Kerrigan. Kevin is a Reader in Law at the Law School, and has been a key player
within our clinical programmes for many years, developing a successful and well-regarded criminal
appeals clinic. He has also been involved in helping to organise our IJCLE conferences – as well as
publishing in the Journal – and he will be known to many of  you already.

I wish Kevin every luck with the Journal. It has been a pleasure to serve as Editor – and to build
on all the work done by my predecessor, Cath Sylvester. I have been assisted to a huge extent by
my eminent – and ever helpful – Editorial Board, and by all of  those who have submitted articles
– and (equally critically) have kindly agreed to serve as referees. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped to make the Journal such a success and I look forward to
reading future editions of  the Journal – and to continuing to attend the conferences, from which I
always learn so much.

Philip Plowden
May 2008

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Journal of Clinical Legal Education December 2007