Monday, September 19, 2011, team of Educating and Equipping Tomorrow’s Justice Reformers (E2J) visited Faculty of Law of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) to hold a technical discussion for the preparation of Legal Clinic Education (CLE) at the Faculty. Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Marsudi Triatmodjo, S.H, LL.M., said the method of legal clinic education is a new breakthrough that is needed to ensure every law school graduate has the skills in applying the science of law in accordance with the legal issues faced by the community in accordance with the reference of National Qualifications Framework in Indonesia.
"This is a teaching program based on interactive and reflective teaching methods. It contains the knowledge, values and practical skills that enable the students to give legal services and create social justice," said Marsudi, Monday (19/9).
Marsudi explains that with the slogan "Experimental Learning or Learning by Doing", CLE is designed with three main pillars, namely the Planning Component, Experimental Component and Reflection Component. Planning Component focuses on mastering the basics of legal theory, comprehension of strategies in legal services and considers the various legal issues. Experimental Component focuses on methods to ensure students to be trained in applying the procedures expertise and perform various practical activities that in principle bring the student closer to the real legal issues.
"Meanwhile, the Reflection Component emphasizes to train the students to be able to reflect on the various experiences they get in the field and evaluate the performance, guided by the supervisor," he said.
He hopes that the supports of the E2J program will become an important point for Faculty of Law to begin the implementation of Legal Clinic Education in its curriculum. According to plan, in 2012 four clinics will be opened, namely Law Profiency Training Practice of Criminal Justice Clinic, of Attorney Clinic, of Anti-Corruption Clinic and of Civil Society Organizations Clinic. The attendance of CLE is expected to provide experience to students to work directly under the guidance of partner institutions both in the courts, police, prosecutors and the CSO with real cases that exist in the community.
Meanwhile, in his speech Eric James Graham Putzig BA, JD, the Asia Foundation Chief of Party, said that the support from E2J program will be given for the next 4 years, where the E2J team will facilitate few things necessary to help the UGM Faculty of Law in developing the Legal Clinic Education. One of these development programs is bringing faculty staff of the University of Washington to provide a CLE introduction to the lecturers. "The lecturers will teach CLE to students and send a lecturer from the UGM Faculty of Law to study CLE directly at Washington University (LLM program)," said Eric.
Furthermore, Eric explained that the E2J program which is fully supported by The Asian Foundation (TAF), University of Washington and the Partnership, funded by USAID Indonesia’s Office of Democratic Governance, in principle aims to produce a new generation who has the knowledge, skills, opportunities and incentives to be able to continue their career in public service sector and to contribute in the efforts to reform the justice sector.