Three Law School Clinics in Chile, 1970-2000: Innovation, Resistance and Conformity in the Global South

Clinical Law Review, Vol. 8, No. 801, pp. 515-582, 2002

NYLS Clinical Research Institute Paper No. 07/08

69 Pages Posted: 17 Oct 2007 Last revised: 8 Jan 2008

See all articles by Richard J. Wilson

Richard J. Wilson

American University - Washington College of Law

Abstract

This article examines the history and development of three law school clinical programs in Chile, from the time of their founding through 2000. The three programs - the University of Chile Law School, the Catholic University of Chile Law School and the Diego Portales Law School - are also studied in the broader legal and political cultures of Chile and the structure and profile of university education there. The structures and operation of the three clinics are examined in significant detail in part to provide a model for other clinical programs in the global South. Some broader questions about clinical legal education in countries in political transition are also addressed, such as whether clinics there meet legitimate educational objectives, and whether clinic students are trained for what lawyers do in Chile. The article concludes that adult experiential learning is culturally transcendent. Finally, it explores the tensions in the justice mission of clinics, particularly during times of great political repression and later transition to democracy.

Keywords: clinical legal education, legal education, Chile, experiential learning, apprenticeships, legal aid, public interest law, developing countries, transitional democracies, dictatorships

JEL Classification: K10, K19, K40, K41, K49

Suggested Citation

Wilson, Richard J., Three Law School Clinics in Chile, 1970-2000: Innovation, Resistance and Conformity in the Global South. Clinical Law Review, Vol. 8, No. 801, pp. 515-582, 2002, NYLS Clinical Research Institute Paper No. 07/08, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1022241

Richard J. Wilson (Contact Author)

American University - Washington College of Law ( email )

4300 Nebraska Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
United States

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