WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE: REFLECTIONS ON CASEWORK AND POLICY WORK IN LAW CLINICS AND POLICY CLINICS

In the United Kingdom, policy clinics are generally established as an extension of a university law clinic. Policy clinics give students the opportunity to undertake empirical research, often for the first time in their legal studies, to further investigate societal issues which impact diverse communities. The University of Exeter’s Policy Clinic is no exception. As a new component of the University of Exeter’s Community Law Clinic, the Policy Clinic aims to influence public policies that are relevant to the legal issues that Community Law Clinic clients collectively face. This practice report will explore the author’s first -hand experiences of working in the Community Law Clinic as a student legal advisor within the ‘Access to Justice Clinic’ undergraduate module at the University of Exeter, as a research intern collaborating with the Policy Clinic on a scoping project in its nascent year and, finally, as a support officer in a developing Policy Clinic. In the context of these three roles, this report will


Introduction
Clinical legal education (CLE) bridges the gap between legal education and the legal profession by expanding on the doctrinal aspects of "traditional legal education", 2 as the latter teaches students how to "think like a lawyer" whilst the former gives them the opportunity to also "act like a lawyer" through live client casework in law clinics. 3w clinics are an integral practical component of CLE and are widely defined as 'a learning environment where students identify, research and apply knowledge in a 2 See Cath Sylvester, 'Bridging the Gap?The Effect of Pro Bono Initiatives on Clinical Education in the UK' [2003] 3 IJCLE 29 ; Jeff Giddings and Jaqueline Weinberg, 'Experiential Legal Education -Stepping Back to See the Future' in Catrina Denvir (ed), Modernizing Legal Education (CUP 2020) 38. 3 See Rebecca L Sandefur and Jeffrey Selbin, 'The Clinic Effect ' (2009)  areas 9 and were given a final grade through four main assessment modalities: (1) professionalism in the clinic, 10 (2) a written case study which focuses on our chosen client's issue or problem, (3) an oral presentation based on the case study, and (4) a reflective portfolio on our experiences working in the clinic. 11There were also formative opportunities within the module via simulation tasks. 12e Policy Clinic at the University of Exeter was established to give students the opportunity to undertake socio-legal empirical research, which is vastly different from doctrinal research, 13 to closely study the issues that Community Law Clinic clients collectively face and to help strengthen connections between the university and the local community through collaborative research projects with community partners.In 2021, I was onboarded as a Policy Clinic research intern for one of the clinic's early scoping projects in collaboration with one of the Community Law Clinic's community partners.In 2022, I was employed as a Policy Clinic support officer to assist with the further development of the Policy Clinic and help concretise the practicalities involved in the working relationship between both the Community Law Clinic and the Policy 9 Such as employment, housing, social welfare, criminal, and contracts.See ibid. 10 The constitutes live client casework which includes attendance to training sessions and meetings with clients and supervisors as well as completing tasks related to casework and case management.See University of Exeter Law School, 'Undergraduate Module Descriptor -LAW3167: Access to Justice Clinic -Assessment' < https://law.exeter.ac.uk/currentstudents/undergraduatemodules/2020-21/module/?moduleCode=LAW3167&ay=2020/1/assessment > accessed 5 June 2023. 11ibid. 12For example, writing an advice letter for a fictional client.See ibid.See also Richard Lewis, 'Clinical Legal Education Revisited ' (2000) 13 Dokkyo Intl Rev 149 ; Elliott S Milstein, 'Clinical Legal Education in the United States: In-House Clinics, Externships, and Simulations' (2001) 51(3) J Leg Ed 375. 13Seeing that doctrinal research forms the majority of legal research that is expected and taught in a standard Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in the UK.See Terry Hutchinson and Nigel Duncan, 'Defining and describing what we do: doctrinal legal research' (2012) 17(1) Deakin L Rev 83.ISSN: 2056-3930   Clinic; this was primarily done by providing additional research support to the Community Law Clinic where needed.Alongside research support, I also helped to maintain the Community Law Clinic and Policy Clinic's external (i.e., community) partnerships.
CLE champions experiential learning, or "learning by doing", 14 providing an environment where students are 'exposed to real or realistic legal issues and problems' as active participants in those processes and interactions. 15Existing literature describes this learning method as supervised skill and personal development, which breaks experiential learning down into three main components: skills acquisition, personal development, and supervision. 16Through clinical work, students are equipped to 'sharpen their understanding of professional responsibility and deepen their appreciation for their own values [and] those of the profession as a whole', 17 which may lead to the development of their professional identities-a 'complex construct' constituted by objective and subjective determinants.Despite experiential learning being heavily associated with live client casework in law clinics, 19 it is arguable that policy clinics also provide students with similar learning experiences.Both law clinics and policy clinics inherently encourage "hands-on learning" for students to actively engage with law and public policy as they function in society-diverting from their doctrinal aspects as taught in traditional legal education.Law clinics and policy clinics achieve this objective by offering similar opportunities for students: to research a legal or, more widely, societal issue further and to develop communication and interpersonal skills by interacting and forming connections with a diverse set of people-all whilst being supervised and supported by professionals in the field.
Hence, given the limited number of literature discussing 'the pedagogical benefits of carrying out [policy clinic] work alongside live client work', 20 this practice report aims to contribute to this by giving an account of my experiences working across both clinics as a way to build on existing literature on experiential learning.With reference to the similar opportunities that both clinics offer to students, this practice report will explore the facets of experiential learning in CLE by discussing (1) how 'active learning' is guaranteed by both clinics, (2) how working on people's real-life experiences with law and public policy reinforces the importance of empathy in professional environments, and how learning in both clinics is facilitated by (3) reflective practice and (4) supervisor guidance.This will be followed by a discussion on the role of both clinics in reiterating (5) the importance of collaboration, trust, and respect as professional values-ultimately demonstrating (6) how live client casework and policy work ultimately complement each other in gaining a comprehensive understanding of how the law and the legal system behave and interact with various other factors in society.

I.
On students gradually develop a growth mindset over time; thus becoming 'active participants in their own learning'. 32Learning and developing skills in dynamic clinical legal environments encourage students to undertake 'higher-level thinking'33 as they interact with many types of people and scenarios-all of which are unpredictable in their diversity.As a result of this, students are able to adapt to different environments whilst being aware and mindful of the different expectations within those different scenarios, which can help them work more effectively in the future.This is particularly relevant vis-à-vis the sudden switch to remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as students had to not only grasp how to use new technologies at a much faster rate,34 but also learn how to develop those relationships with clients, academics, and external partners through this new medium. 35That said, while it is true that actively learning in dynamic real-life situations can be beneficial in skills acquisition, it could also have emotional repercussions to students who encounter difficult issues and hardships in their work.ISSN: 2056-3930 II.

On empathy, professionalism, and the complexity of "law as lived"
In both legal practice and research, working with empathy and emotional intelligence is traditionally seen as a threat to the professional ideals of objectivity and impartiality. 36However, considering that both casework and policy work revolve around "law as lived" by real people, in real time, with real-life consequences, 37 it is almost impossible to be unemotional or emotionally unaware when working in both clinics.Casework and policy work require sensitivity, empathy, and kindness-all of which must not be compromised to satisfy the traditional perception of "professionalism".
The application process for the Access to Justice Clinic module is exclusively open to final year students who have already studied the compulsory foundational law subjects. 38These subjects should equip them with a sound knowledge of domestic law Ultimately, these experiential learning opportunities in both clinics make it clear that empathy is not just a desirable competency in professional settings-it is a necessity.
To be "professional" is not to discount kindness nor 'cerebral' skill. 48The recognised importance of 'having human skills […] in addition to an excellent legal mind' is particularly relevant here, 49 especially with the 'false dichotomy' often established between emotional awareness and 'rational' technical skill acquisition in legal practice and research, 50 which is reminiscent of the distinction between hard and soft skills. 51 observed from both clinics, soft skills inform how well hard skills are to be applied;

III.
On "learning how to learn" through reflective practice In CLE, students are expected to primarily learn from their own experiences alongside literature and primary sources.This is very different from traditional legal education, where students learn solely from academic literature and primary legal sources such as statutes and case law.Going into this unchartered territory, therefore, could take students by surprise and overwhelm them.Reflective practice is a useful tool for A well-known component of CLE, 53 reflective practice is 'the magic ingredient which converts legal experience into education'. 54Evans et al. even went as far as to describe the almost-symbiotic relationship between reflection and experiential learning: it is impossible to reflect without experience, and not reflecting on one's experience would render the latter meaningless. 55Ultimately, reflective practice ensures student-centric learning as students are encouraged to consider their personal thoughts on-and actions towards-their own experiences, 56 making clinics a truly 'self-directed learning environment'. 57Through my experience, I identified three main purposes of reflective practice: to think within oneself to look after their own wellbeing, to think beyond oneself to contextualise the issues witnessed through casework and policy work, and to develop one's overall professional practice and performance of the roles they undertake.realise that they can no longer 'fall back on conventional classroom teaching' and thus start to independently 'develop new strategies and approaches to problem-solving' through reflective practice. 58As previously discussed, students gradually improve their skills and understanding over time within law clinics and policy clinics; this would be impossible without reflection.I used reflective practice to evaluate my performance-especially when I did things for the first time-and think about how I can improve for future clients and projects. 59For example, if I thought that I unsatisfactorily responded to a client's concern, I identified exactly what I did to make it unsatisfactory, figured out why I may have done it, and thought about how I can do better next time; the how must be realistically actionable.By focusing on my own actions and reactions during each interaction and task, I consistently found approaches that worked best for my personal working style.
As I was no longer a mere 'spectator' of a legal issue, it was easier for me to 'feel the weight of responsibility' when advising clients; 60 reflective practice helped me tremendously with self-regulation.Undertaking reflective practice within the Access to Justice Clinic module invited me to focus on not only what was happening around me, but also to how I was feeling before, during, and after these events.This was particularly useful during those 'emotional dialogues' with clients, external partners, and research participants; reflecting gave me the space to not only feel the emotions 58 Evans and others (n 32) 160-161.See also Ledvinka (n 54) 34. 59Either during the client interview, legal research process, or drafting the advice letter. 60Evans and others (n 32) 161.I definitely agree that students 'who are taught how to reflect, and who are exposed to the benefits arising from reflection, are unlikely to stop reflecting' after the CLE period. 61I found myself applying the same reflective practices that I have learned from the Access to Justice Clinic module to my work in the Policy Clinic and beyond; 'genuine reflective skills' became a habitual practice that helps me understand myself and my work better. 62Having learnt these skills in an educational environment, I found it easier to make the link between learning and making mistakes-helping me to reframe my thinking when I face obstacles in my work and seeing them as learning opportunities instead of reverting to relentless self-criticism caused by often impossibly high standards.
By shifting the focus from theoretical perspectives to people's lived experiences of law, public policy, and the legal system, reflective practice enables students to 'find meaning and context' from their work, 63 re-evoking the notion of "being comfortable with the uncomfortable" but in a different way.Here, the discomfort is brought on by sobering realisations on students' personal perceptions and beliefs.It is very easy to go into CLE thinking that everyone receives equal treatment through the rule of law. 61 However, after being exposed to the realities of law and public policy through casework and policy work, it quickly appears that it is not the case, especially for marginalised communities. 64Through my work at both clinics, I developed a deeper understanding of the different ways in which underfunded and under-resourced public services detrimentally affect individuals and communities, 65 especially within the Policy Clinic.That said, whilst reflective practice is highly beneficial to experiential learning in CLE, the only way to ensure the effectiveness of these exercises is through careful supervision-which also provides students with more learning opportunities within clinical work.

IV. On the value of professional supervision and guidance
Professional supervision is one of the most important and distinguishable aspects of CLE, and it is present in both law clinics and policy clinics.Whilst both clinics are supervised by legal academics, practicing or otherwise, it is imperative that law clinics have accredited and regulated legal professionals such as solicitors and barristers to supervise live client casework.As experts in their respective fields, clinical supervisors provide students with invaluable insight into their professions and consistent ISSN: 2056-3930 feedback opportunities in order to help enrich their skills acquisition and personal development.
Clinical legal teaching spaces utilise one-on-one or small-group sessions.This is different from their doctrinal counterparts, which typically feature medium to large classes and lectures. 66The employment of small-group teaching in CLE facilitates experiential learning, 67 since supervisor feedback plays a significant role in enabling students to 'learn how to learn from their experiences'. 68

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Clinic work is 'a bundle of unpredictable, 70 often contradictory, facts, feeling and impulses'. 71As previously discussed, reflective practice within experiential learning in CLE establishes a link between thinking and doing, thus acting as a 'bridge of meaning that connects one experience to the next that gives direction and impetus to growth'. 72Clinical supervisors heavily contribute to guiding students towards that 'direction', especially when students 'find reflective writing very difficult' because they have not done this type of learning exercise before. 73In the Access to Justice Clinic module, online student-to-teacher journaling was implemented to help students practice reflective writing; we were guaranteed feedback every time, regardless of how many entries we submitted.In this type of guided reflective practice, Atkinson and Castle found that students employed 'more casual' language as they provided 'easier reference to personal feelings and reactions'. 74My experiences heavily resonate with this; given the informal nature of the exercise, I felt more comfortable writing "in my voice" as I did not feel that I needed to "say the right thing".This exercised helped me improve my capacity to learn from my experiences, as my supervisor not only gave me direct feedback on my account, but she also asked me questions to guide my 188 ISSN: 2056-3930 reflections and think deeper.In the Policy Clinic, this exercise took the form of weekly live meetings, where my supervisor provided feedback to my work, prompted me to consider its wider impact, and encouraged me to be mindful of it moving forwardwhich I found just as useful.Even though these meetings were live, I still felt comfortable enough to share my thoughts and feelings with my supervisor, as I felt that the Policy Clinic promotes that same atmosphere of support and willingness to help.In both clinics, I was empowered to raise my concerns and ask questions to my supervisors without the fear of being judged.
Ultimately, small-group and one-on-one teaching within clinics makes it easier for students to develop professional working relationships with their clinical supervisors, 75 which is 'conducive to what [students] will experience in the workplace'. 76Having had various supervisors across both clinics, 77 I was exposed to different approaches and perspectives.During joint meetings with academics and practitioners, it was interesting to see how-despite how differently they prioritise and approach the same issues-they ultimately work together to achieve a common goal.Working in close proximity to professionals while doing real-life work also helps to develop a sense of collegiality, seeing that academics and legal practitioners are working with the students to achieve the best possible result by being actively involved in the clinics' advice and research cycles.This collaborative aspect emphasises the supervisor's role, which is to support but not take over.Additionally, working closely with professionals fosters the 'role model dynamic of experiential learning', 78 where students learn through observing their clinical supervisorsespecially when it comes to situational decision-making and problem-solving in circumstances that they have not come across before.Arguably, learning by observing is equally important to learning by doing, 79 as the former gives students the opportunity to emulate the actions and behaviours that they wish to apply to their own practice.
Giving students the time to research and draft independently with relatively minimal check-ins demonstrates that supervisors trust their students' ability to accomplish tasks.This trust helps to foster a mutually respectful environment, as supervisors are effectively treating students as capable advisors in the same way that students respect their supervisors as experts in their respective fields.This shared responsibility is particularly important when forming a 'strong support network of academics and practitioners in CLE' which is valuable for everyone involved, 80 and policy clinics provide the opportunity for students to establish connections in the legal profession, academia, and local communities.These relationships further highlight the need for 78 Porter (n 16) 90. 79See ibid 91. 80Kay Howells, 'Simulated and real-world experience -The challenge of adapting practice in clinical legal education in unprecedented and challenging times' (2020) 4(2) IJCLE 196, 213.ISSN: 2056-3930 collaboration, trust, and respect-all of which are learned and developed in both clinics.

V.
On the importance of collaboration, trust, and respect in experiential learning As previously discussed, law clinics and policy clinics work with lived experiences of people from the local community, 81 which holds relationship-building paramount.
When forming and developing these relationships, it is important to establish trust, encourage collaboration, and maintain respect throughout.Whilst existing literature has highlighted the importance of collaboration in clinical environments, notably in problem solving, 82 experiential learning makes it clear that successful collaborations cannot exist without trust and respect. 83Having been exposed to different contexts and people while working in both clinics, I witnessed how collaboration, trust, and respect are woven into the clinical working framework as professional values.
Experiential learning enriched my definitions for these values; it led to a more  84 which is evident within the Policy Clinic.In policy work, all parties share an ultimate goal and conduct research alongside each other.In casework, however, whilst student legal advisors and clients have a shared goal of informing the latter on their legal issue and position, clients are not directly involved in the legal research process and the ultimate goal attached to that information (i.e., what will be done with the information presented in the advice letter) is up to the client.In the context of external partner-researcher and advisor-client relationships, 85 therefore, lies the distinction between collaboration and cooperation; the former signifies all parties working towards a shared goal and conducting coordinated tasks, while the latter allocates different tasks between parties without a shared purpose for the work completed.Despite this difference, it is clear that collaboration and cooperation must be reciprocal in a successful working relationship, in the same way that trust and respect must be mutual. 86With trust and respect being traditionally seen as a value shown to the authority figure, this perception is quickly quashed in clinic work; there 84 ibid 439. 85In this context, the 'researcher' and 'advisor' in these working relationships refer to student researchers and student legal advisors respectively. 86On the importance placed on the mutuality of respect, see Kathleen Kelly Whilst collaboration and its advantages are more easily observable in both clinics (e.g., seeing a group of people working together in a room, sharing ideas, and completing tasks more efficiently), the objective indicative markers relating to the principles of trust and respect are more difficult to ascertain.Nevertheless, the way in which these professional values are integrated into clinical practices invokes students' awareness, development, and appreciation of these values.Firstly, whilst confidentiality is widely recognised as a formality requirement to concretise legal professional obligations, 88 experiential learning helps students realise that it is much more than that, as it helps to foster trust and respect.Maintaining client confidentiality in the Community Law Clinic and data-related research ethics obligations in the Policy Clinic help to gain clients' and research participants' trust throughout the clinical process (especially 193 ISSN: 2056-3930 during interviews), 89 as well as to reassure them that legal advisors and researchers respect their privacy.Secondly, completing tasks that you set out to do helps to gain the other party's trust and, in so doing, could lead to an increased level of respect as they realise your capability to finish the job and keep your promises. 90Thirdly, how you communicate with, listen, 91 and present information to other people show respect for their time and efforts-especially as you consider how they will best understand and use the information given to them.This helps to build trust in accommodating their needs and 'conveying legal information' as 'legitimate partners'. 92Finally, client autonomy and external partners' agency evoke the need to trust that they will make the best decisions for them and their circumstances, especially because you respect them as capable of acting in their best interests and as experts in their fields respectively.In the Community Law Clinic, the advice letter is the main driver for client autonomy as it explains the client's legal position and suggested next steps; 93 if a client wants to pursue something, they can do so and are more than welcome to get back in touch with the Community Law Clinic to get further support. 94In the Policy Clinic, external partners are to take the lead when deciding what they want to achieve 194 ISSN: 2056-3930 for the project and when considering research models and methods that work best with their schedules, capacities, and resources.Whilst we can help by sharing information related to the research process, discussing their options with them based on their needs, and assisting with the completion of the research project, we are not to-and cannot-make the decisions for them.
Experiential learning in both clinics highlights the equal importance of collaboration, trust, and respect.That said, working in the Policy Clinic widened the scope of these values from the individual focus in casework to the more collaborative focus in policy work-both of which are reflected in the perspectives they give on how law and public policy affect people in society.

VI.
On the complementary nature of the individual and the collective Despite the law being 'generally recognised [as a] potential solution' to clients' problems in CLE, it is also recognised as 'part of a larger, multidisciplinary approach that includes community partners and diverse strategies'. 95Live client casework in the Community Law Clinic gives students the opportunity to work directly with the law and with members of the community on a case-by-case basis, which is more reactive in nature-seeing that the issue has already materialised and students are finding ways to remedy it (i.e., a more curative approach focusing on the effect of the issue). 96 other hand, policy work at the Policy Clinic gives students the opportunity to 'better understand a problem' and 'create the necessary change to improve the situation as part of the research process', 97 which is more proactive in the fact that the main objective of Policy Clinic research projects is to find the cause(s) of a socio-legal issue and ways to 'create change' by sufficiently addressing and tackling them (i.e., a more preventive approach focusing on the cause of the issue). 98Indeed, these can be interchangeable: policy work can be reactive (i.e., the socio-legal issue at hand is already impacting communities, and therefore research is done to find ways in which its impact can be sufficiently addressed) and clinic work can be proactive (i.e., reading through a client's employment contract and informing the client on ambiguous clauses that can cause conflict in the long run; the client can then negotiate or clarify these clauses with their employer to avoid issues that may arise later on).
Simultaneously having both reactive and proactive approaches to addressing the needs of the community harbours the opportunity to meet in the middle-both approaches 'synergistically [contributing] to a more reform-oriented and responsive legal culture and justice system'.More widely, working at law clinics and policy clinics helps to emphasise the meaning of "impact" in their respective rights.Through live client casework at the Community Law Clinic, students gain an insight into how the law affects their clients' lives and are therefore invited to think about the impact of law at an individual level.
Conversely, policy research work at the Policy Clinic shifts the focus from the individual to the collective-thus 'extending the community lawyering model' 100 -as students are now prompted to see the bigger picture, learn more about how the law affects communities, and even 'think outside the legal system'. 101Policy work enriches the knowledge gained from live client casework by contextualising socio-legal issues through the intersecting relationship between law, public policy, economics, and politics, 102 which is invaluable to recognising the role of law and public policy in society.Both perspectives are equally important to appreciate the law as not only a dynamic academic discipline, but also a living, breathing entity with real-life implications.This shift between the theoretical and the practical further encapsulates the notion of "learning by doing" within clinic environments, providing students with opportunities to 'create positive change within… communities' by working to As demonstrated in this practice report, law clinics and policy clinics are invaluable and complementary components of CLE because of the learning opportunities that they provide to students as they serve the local community.Ultimately, law clinics act as a bridge connecting legal professionals and students to the community, while policy clinics act as a bridge connecting the community to the academy.Whilst law clinics give students a glimpse of legal practice by showing them how law and policy affect individuals and families, policy clinics urge them to expand their understanding by investigating how law and public policy affect communities as a whole.Whether it be live client casework or policy research work, students can choose to work at either clinic, or both, depending on their personal interests and career aspirations.
students to not only remember what they have experienced, but it also puts them in the mindset of being present and mindful in their work-encouraging them to focus 52 Samra and Jones (n 44) 7. 182 ISSN: 2056-3930 on how they felt and what they think caused their actions when responding to various situations.
184 ISSN: 2056-3930 evoked by those interactions, but to also think about what brought on those emotional responses.

75
Bengtsson and others (n 73) 128.Lyndsey Bengtsson and others, 'The Law in the Community module at Northumbria University: Working in Partnership with Citizens Advice as an Effective Educational Tool' (2021) 28(1) IJCLE 111, 128. 76Bengtsson and A'Court (n 39) 90. 77For a discussion on how students learn under different supervisors in the community model of CLE, see Bengtsson and A'Court (n 39), 78-79.ISSN: 2056-3930 Janus and Dee Smythe, 'Navigating Culture in the Field: Cultural Competency Training Lessons from the International Human Rights Clinic' [2012] 56 N Y L Sch L Rev 445, 469 ; Peggy Maisel, 'The Role of U.S. Law Faculty in Developing Countries: Striving for Effective Cross-Cultural Collaboration' [2008] 14 Clin L Rev 465, 504 ISSN: 2056-3930is no official "authority figure" in external partner-researcher and advisor-client relationships.Trust and respect are very easily learned as two-way streets in both clinics, 87 as students get to witness firsthand not only how other people trust and respect them in their capacity as legal advisors or researchers, but also pay attention to how they trust others and treat them respectfully.

100
Judith McNamara, Catherine Campbell, and Evan Hamman, 'Community Projects: Extending the Community Lawyering Model' (2014) 21(2) IJCLE 1. 101 Bengtsson and A'Court (n 39) 78. 102See ibid 78 ; Morten Levin and Davydd J Greenwood, 'Pragmatic Action Research and the Struggle to Transform Universities into Learning Communities' in Peter Reason and Hilary Bradbury (eds), Handbook of Action Research: Participative Inquiry and Practice (Sage 2001) 103, 112.197ISSN: 2056-3930 implement 'local change and systemic responses to challenging human rights and access to justice issues' faced in the sector. 103Conclusion Experiential learning in law clinics and policy clinics could be compared to a story being brought to life, as it helps us to better understand socio-legal phenomenon by taking the law from doctrinal sources and making us see it in different angles through various perspectives.Overall, it emphasises that law clinics cannot, and do not, work in a vacuum.An effective law clinic not only seeks to help members of the community individually, but also seeks to understand how overarching issues can be tackled in the best way.In a pedagogical sense, working in both law clinics and policy clinics effectively fulfil the three main components of experiential learning in CLE: students are placed in a guided and dynamic real-life learning environment which allows them to explore and discover new things-thus supporting their skill acquisition and personal development.By learning about professional values and responsibilities within legal practice and academia, they start to develop their sense of professional identity, which is integral when entering the world of work.Beyond this, students could also 198 ISSN: 2056-3930 appreciate the role of law and public policy in society, as reflective practice helps students to revisit their surface-level expectations of what these types of legal work entail.
18 14 Richard Lewis, 'Clinical Legal Education Revisited' (2000) 13 Dokkyo Intl Rev 149, 155. 15Richard Grimes and Jenny Gibbons, 'Assessing experiential learning -us, them and the others' (2016) 23(1) IJCLE 107 ; Kevin Kerrigan, 'What is Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono' in Kevin Kerrigan and Victoria Murray (eds), A Student Guide to Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono ( 17See American Bar Association, Report of the Task Force on Law Schools and the Profession: Narrowing the Gap (1992) (MacCrate Report) 238 ; Ann Thanaraj, 'Understanding how a law clinic can contribute towards students' development of professional responsibility' (2016) 23(4) IJCLE 89.18These objective determinants may include professional conduct regulations, technical knowledge, and skills, whereas subjective determinants may include one's personal identity and purpose for ISSN: 2056-3930 choosing their profession.See Jennifer L Whelan, 'Grounding Inside/Out Professional Identity Formation by Developing Wholehearted Lawyers with Therapeutic Intent' (2022) 29(1) IJCLE 32. 19See Deborah Maranville, 'Infusing Passion and Context into the Traditional Law Curriculum Through Experiential Learning' (2001) 51(1) JLE 51 ; Francina Cantatore, 'Boosting Law Graduate Employability: Using a Pro Bono Teaching Clinic to Facilitate Experiential Learning in Commercial Law Subjects' [2015] 25 Legal Educ Rev 147 ; Steven M Virgil, 'The Role of Experiential Learning on a Law Student's Sense of Professional Identity' [2016] 51 Wake Forest L Rev 325.

'active learning' in dynamic clinical legal environments
ISSN: 2056-3930 students to various types of people who behave and process information differently.Having undertaken people-centric work in both clinics, one of the main things I learned is the need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable when 'emotional dialogues' start.Making sure that people feel heard and understood is paramount to establishing rapport and, consequently, a 'relationship of confidence and trust'; 42 this cannot be achieved without empathy and kindness.43Samraand Jones maintain that empathy should be viewed and treated 'as an integral Across both clinics, I have observed that treating people kindly and respectfully through empathy have tangible effects on clients, external partners, and research participants alike.Seeing them visibly relax and exhale as they share their experiences tells me that they feel comfortable and safe enough to open up 36For legal practice, see Rajvinder Samra and Emma Jones, 'Fostering empathy in clinical teaching and learning environments: A unified approach' (2019) 6(1) Austl J Leg Ed 1, 6-7.Forlegal research, see P Ishwara Bhat, '3 Objectivity, Value Neutrality, Originality, and Ethics in Legal Research' in P Ishwara Bhat, Idea and Methods of Legal Research (OUP 2019) 55-57. 37onfidentiality, Human Relationships, and Law Reform' in Christine M Koggel and others (eds), Confidential Relationships.Psychoanalytic, Ethical, and Legal Contexts (Rodopi 2003) 229, 230.See also Michele M Leering, 'Enhancing the Legal Profession's Capacity for Innovation: The Promise of Reflective Practice and Action Research for Increasing Access to Justice' (2017) 34(1) Windsor Access Justice 189, 207.38alled 'qualifying modules' in the UK, which pertain to the seven law modules that students must pass in order to graduate with a qualifying law degree (LLB) in England and Wales.These modules are criminal law, tort law, contract law, land/property law, equity & trusts, public law, and European Union law.See The Law Society, 'Qualifying with a law degree | The Law Society' < https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/career-advice/becoming-a-solicitor/qualifying-with-adegree/qualifying-with-a-law-degree>accessed18June2023 ; Bar Standards Board, 'The Bar Qualification Manual | Part 2 -Academic Component of Bar Training | 2A: Foundations of legal ISSN: 2056-3930and how their legal system works in a doctrinal capacity in traditional legal education.39Workinginbothlawclinicsandpolicyclinicsenrichesstudents'theoreticallegalknowledgethroughexperientiallearning,astheycomeface-to-facewithpeoplewho have previously experienced, or are still experiencing, these legal issues first-hand.This introduces a layer of complexity in CLE, as working with people who are directly affected by law and policy inevitably invokes the need to effectively consider and respond to emotional behaviours.40Oninvestigating the role of empathy and emotional intelligence in clinical client casework, Lawton et al. discuss the unprecedented 'emotional dialogue' that comes up in client interviews, where students tend to 'freeze' and rely on the safety of their pre-prepared set of questions 'without acknowledgement of the client's upsetting or difficult situation' because they are not used to accommodate this type of emotional response.41This'emotionaldialogue'alsoexists in policy work, as external partners and research participants share and discuss their lived experiences of socio-legal issues and economic hardship in meetings and interviews.As previously discussed, knowledge' < https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/training-qualification/bar-qualification-manualnew.html?part=CC6E51DC-0FF4-45C8-A0CE31EA825C4692&q= > accessed 18 June 2023.39ThisappearstobethecaseinsomelawschoolsinAustralia,India,andtheUK.For Australia, see Atkinson and Castle (n 30) 160.For India, see K Rajashree and Sonika Bhardwaj, 'India's Law School 40 Mainly because people's emotional and cognitive processes are inextricably linked.See Colin James, 'Seeing Things As We Are.Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Legal Education [2005] 8 IJCLE 123, 134 ; John D Mayer and Peter Salovey, 'What is Emotional Intelligence' in Peter Salovey and David J Sluyter (eds), Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications (Basic Books 1997) 3. 41 Amy Lawton and others, 'Do we want a human first, and a lawyer second?Developing law student empathy through clinical legal education' (2022) 29(1) IJCLE 4, 5. ISSN: 2056-3930 clinical work exposes part of professionalism', despite the concern that showing empathy in professional interactions is 'traditionally […] viewed as antithetical to the neutrality and objectivity' associated with professional practice.44Afterall,'inthefield of social science, knowledge is not-nor can it be-impersonal'.45Thatsaid,thereisafinelinebetweenactionableempathyandemotionaloverinvestment when working in both clinics-and students learn to tread that line with every professional interaction they have in law clinics and policy clinics.Lawton et al. recognise this, stating how important it is to 'maintain objectivity and impartiality', but not at the expense of the 'authenticity of emotional empathetic connection'.46It is therefore unsurprising that communicating emotionally is found to be one of many skills that students develop 42 ibid 10.43Evans at al. recognise client sensitivity and empathy as an integral '[aspect] of the clinical process'.SeeEvans and others (n 32) 154.44RajvinderSamra and Emma Jones, 'Fostering empathy in clinical teaching and learning environments: A unified approach' (2019) 6(1) Austl J Leg Ed 1, 6-7.45As opposed to pure sciences, where objectivity is a 'laboratory-made product'.See Bhat (n 36) 58.46Lawton and others (n 41) 11.ISSN: 2056-3930 in clinical environments.47 is nothing without effective communication, and further knowledge acquisition cannot be pursued without collaboration-both of which can be achieved through emotionally-minded connection.It is therefore reassuring to see experiential learning being recognised as capable of '[fostering] the notion of empathy as a positive part of professionalism'.52Undoubtedly,being exposed to real-life work can be overwhelming for studentsespecially for those who have primarily been learning through doctrinal methods.
50ibid 10.See also Chalen Westaby and Emma Jones, 'Empathy: an essential element of legal practice or 'never the twain shall meet'?(2018)25(1)IJLP 107, 108. 51Hard skills refer to qualification-based technical knowledge, whereas soft skills refer to relational behaviours.See Jiří Balcar, 'Is it better to invest in hard or soft skills?' (2016) 27(4) Econ & Lab Rel Rev 453.ISSN: 2056-3930 knowledge This is where reflective practice, an essential component of CLE, can be used to help students process what they are experiencing and, more importantly, what they are learning from those experiences.
The Access to Justice Clinic module was instrumental in developing my reflective skills.I definitely resonate with Evans et al.'s statement that students' exposure to 'new, strange and previously unimaginable experiences' through CLE helps them 57Lawton and others (n 41) 7. ISSN: 2056-3930 99 97 ibid 191. 98ibid 193, 209.See also Stephen Kemmis and Robin McTaggart, 'Participatory Action Research: Communicative Action and the Public Sphere' in Norman K Denzin and Yvona S Lincoln (eds), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research (3rd edn, Sage 2005) 271. 99Leering (n 37) 191.