Legal education at the crossroads of social responsibility and the development of individual competencies – experience at the University of Szeged (Hungary)

Abstract

The authors describe the role of the legal clinical education as an instrument for community empowerment through pro bono legal counseling, easily understandable e-compilation (Vademecum) of legal terms, and extended legal practice for law students, together with the development of their professional competencies. The new requirements in legal education, as determined by the government in 2016, focus on labour market needs, but academics and leaders of the University of Szeged have created an amalgam of tools for access to justice for local residents and NGOs in a less wealthy social environment, thereby introducing changes in education. The article proves how difficult it is to change historically-determined traditions in legal education in an innovative way, developing social solidarity, legal responsibility, ethics, and communication skills of the future generation of jurists in Hungary. In the course of the research, the authors analyze their own experiences since the establishment of the Legal Clinic at the University of Szeged under predefined requirement, e.g. number and type of cases or form of help. As a result, key fields are revealed where the work of the Legal Clinic is essential, and such a conclusion provided great help to further develop the partnership system and the entire clinical legal education at the University of Szeged.

Keywords

• professional competencies of jurists
• legal education
• legal clinics
• Hungary
• social responsibility of the university