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