The Hon’ble Chief Justice of Bangladesh inaugurated ‘East West University Law Clinic’

The Hon'ble Chief Justice of Bangladesh Mr. Justice Hasan Foez Siddique inaugurated the East West University Law Clinic with a grand ceremony on 08 April 2023, Saturday, at East West University (EWU) Auditorium. Law Clinic is a key component of clinical legal education (CLE), a combination of teaching practical knowledge and skills necessary for a legal practitioner with a commitment to pro bono lawyering. The motto of CLE is 'learning by doing'.

The ceremony started with the opening remarks of Professor Dr. M. M. Shahidul Hassan, Vice Chancellor, EWU who was the Guest of Honour of the ceremony. He welcomed the distinguished guests and the audience of the ceremony and wholeheartedly applauded the endeavour of introducing a law clinic at EWU. Professor Dr. Muhammad Ekramul Haque, Adviser, Department of Law, EWU, the architect of the project, provided insights into the history and significance of the Law Clinic. He highlighted that the Law Clinic plays a vital role in bridging the gap between traditional legal education and practical legal training by integrating classroom teaching and learning with courtroom practice and procedure. The project aspires to introduce an internship program in the future. The Chair of the ceremony, Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, Chief Advisor and Founder Vice Chancellor, EWU, praised the Law Clinic for its commendable efforts in imparting practical legal education to the students and bridging the gap between the academia (classrooms) and industry (courts).

The Hon'ble Chief Justice of Bangladesh, Mr. Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, the Chief Guest of the ceremony, highlighted the significance of gaining advocacy skills and practical training through the Law Clinic, underscoring the objectives of legal education that contribute towards becoming a proficient lawyer or judge. He urged the students to work diligently to enhance their legal knowledge and skills for their professional development. In essence, the Chief Justice highlighted the crucial role of practical training and academic excellence in preparing students for successful legal careers.

EWU has introduced a compulsory credited model of law clinic, classified as the mixed model of law clinic. It is a landmark in the history of legal education in Bangladesh, being the first private university in Bangladesh to incorporate CLE into its curriculum as a compulsory credit. This pioneering model is the brainchild of Professor Dr. Muhammad Ekramul Haque. It is mandatory for every final-year student of the Department to complete the Law Clinic, where they will learn practical aspects of law and legal procedure (civil, criminal and writ) in a courtroom setting through various interactive methods. The students are taught 'law in action' by the best legal minds in Bangladesh. In one of the earlier sessions, Dr. Kamal Hossain, Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh and Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, taught the students professional ethics, rules and etiquette. Barrister M. Amirul Islam, the drafter of the Proclamation of Independence of Bangladesh and Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, delivered a lecture on challenges in becoming a lawyer. 

Event report by Sen Sen Won, a final year student of Department of Law, East West University.