{"id":20621,"date":"2025-07-04T12:09:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T10:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fdef-en\/?post_type=news&p=20621"},"modified":"2025-07-04T12:17:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T10:17:04","slug":"making-the-case-for-clinical-legal-education-in-luxembourg","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni.lu\/fdef-en\/news\/making-the-case-for-clinical-legal-education-in-luxembourg\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the case for clinical legal education in Luxembourg"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The legal profession is innately a human profession. Clients are people, with ideas, opinions, objectives and concerns. Then why, wondered Professor Elise Poillot more than a decade ago, is the act of teaching law so often disconnected from this reality? How can students learn what it takes to be a good lawyer How can students learn what it takes to be a good lawyer only by attending lectures and focusing excessively on theoretical knowledge? How can teaching law become more engaging and more practical for future professionals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer came in the form of clinical legal education<\/em>, an innovative way to teach law beginning in the United States before spreading to Europe and beyond. This experiential learning method which fosters the growth of knowledge, personal skills and values as well as promoting social justice, requires the establishment of a Legal Clinic. Operated by law students and supervised by teachers and professionals, legal clinics take many forms \u2014 from providing legal support to NGOs, to informing individuals about their rights. They may also welcome the public, examine cases, meet with clients, and offer legal information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tool for consumer empowerment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the support of former President of the Luxembourg Bar, Rosario Grasso and Bob Schmitz, special counsellor at the Union Luxembourgeoise des Consommateurs<\/em>, Professor Poillot, who specialises in Civil Law, opened the doors of the Consumer Law Clinic, a client clinic at the University of Luxembourg in 2015. The Consumer Law Clinic examines cases between professionals and private citizens within the jurisdiction of Luxembourg law. It can handle claims up to 5000\u20ac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Consumer Law Clinic fills a gap,\u201d says Prof. Poillot. Although consumer law is highly developed, it is not as frequently applied as other kinds of law. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth going to court for 300\u20ac,\u201d she explains. Rather than pursuing time-consuming and possibly expensive legal action, consumers often prefer to cut their losses. In the small country of Luxembourg, the Clinic\u2019s role is tangible. By providing a free resource, the Clinic serves to empower consumers, putting pressure on less-scrupulous professionals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In tandem with the Client Clinic, Prof. Poillot has also established a Street Law programme at the University of Luxembourg\u2014an initiative that takes students beyond the university walls and into direct contact with the community. Through this outreach programme, students engage with targeted audiences, from vulnerable consumers seeking information about their rights to institutions aiming to improve the legal framework for consumer protection. Collaboration with public authorities is an integral part of this work: the Clinic has, for example, provided valuable feedback on consumer experiences to the Directorate for Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, led by Minister Martine Hansen. This collaboration is just one of many impactful activities carried out through the Street Law programme, which gives students a unique opportunity to contribute meaningfully to both public awareness and policy development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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