·         is statutorily recognised;

·         forms part of the Faculty of Law;

·         enjoys accreditation and certification by the relevant Law Society;

·         employs a full-time director and principal attorneys, professional assistants, candidate attorneys, administrative and secretarial staff;

·         has the necessary infrastructure, filing and bookkeeping systems;

·         provides legal services free of charge;

·         enjoys liability cover under a comprehensive insurance policy;

·         is responsible for academic credit regarding clinical legal education courses in the Faculty;

·         is a member of AULAI (Association for University Legal Aid Institutions);

·         receives financial support from the University, as well as outside funders;

·         has strong links with other clinics in South Africa and abroad;

·         often enters into co-operation agreements with government agencies, professional bodies, NGO’s and paralegal advice offices;

·         has a main office in Hatfield and branch offices in Hammanskraal and Mamelodi;

·         is the preferred training provider for aspirant debt counsellors.

Through the Clinic, final year law students and candidate attorneys are offered a unique opportunity to practice law while being mentored by experienced clinic lawyers.

Due to the variety of projects that the Clinic is involved in, the following divisions exist in the Clinic to deal with the various projects:

·         Civil Litigation;

·         Debt Counselling;

·         Hatfield Community Court and Criminal Law;

·         Research and Short Courses; and

·         Special Projects.

The Clinic’s branch offices in Hammanskraal and Mamelodi provide legal services and advice to the poor and often marginalised communities in the surrounding rural and semi rural areas.

Vision

The UP Law Clinic strives to be the leading law clinic in Africa and to contribute in maintaining the Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria as a world class Faculty in respect of its main functions relating to teaching, research and community service

Mission

·        To use the practice of law (simulated and actual) as a context to teach and research substantive and procedural law, ethics, professional skills, effective interpersonal relations, appropriate dispute resolution techniques and the ability to integrate law, fact, procedure and values;

·         To provide quality legal services to the indigent thereby increasing access to justice; and

·        To foster a commitment in staff and students to build a society based on democratic values, social justice and the rule of law.

Structure    

The Law Clinic forms part of the Faculty of Law and is statutorily recognised as a Legal Aid Clinic in terms of the Attorneys Act 53 of 1979 (as amended), duly certified and accredited as such by the Law Society of the Northern Provinces.

The staff report to the Head of the Department of Procedural Law in the Faculty of Law on their teaching activities and to a Management Committee on their community service. They are accountable to the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Law and to the Law Society of the Northern Provinces.

To download the Clinic's 30th Year Commemorative Journal in PDF format, click here (approximately 53.2MB)