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The University of the Western Cape (UWC) began an internship programme with the University of Missouri (UM) and the City, University of London City Law School (CSL). The purpose of the UWC/MU/CSL exchange programme is to advance mutual understanding between the three faculties of the respective institutions and promote collaboration in: i) teaching, ii) research and iii) services (also referred to as community engagement), with the aim of benefiting each institution and its broader communities. These partnerships entail the co-teaching of the programme to empower community leaders from both countries in bringing about social and economic change through development in their respective communities.
The students from the international institutions normally conduct their internships before they start the initial program. They have to complete a certain number of hours at the Clinic during their stay and they have to compile a report. They are exposed to consulting with clients, drafting of court proceedings and attending court with the candidate attorneys and attorneys in office.
A copy of a letter from the University of Missouri is attached hereto, marked Annexure ‘LC5’ and a copy of a letter from City, University of London City Law School is attached hereto, marked Annexure ‘LC6’, as well as a reflective log compiled by one of the interns, marked as Annexure ‘LC7’, in support of the existing internship programme between the universities.
Confirmatory letter from Missouri.docxCity School of London Confirmatory Letter.docxUbuntu Scholarship Reflective Log_James MacDonald_2019.pdf Legal Service Provision: Law Clinic
Legal Service Provision: Law Clinic
The UWC Law Clinic, as noted above, was established in 1987 and provides legal services to rural, indigent and marginalised communities. The office is staffed by a Director, seven attorneys, three candidate attorneys, one administrator, one legal secretary and a receptionist. The Law Clinic operates as a law practice under the supervision of a director and experienced attorneys. In addition to the civil assistance rendered to the indigent clients at our offices, the Clinic has increased its community outreach and is currently operating in the Fezeka, Gugulethu and Mitchell’s Plain Community Criminal Courts, whereby three of our candidate attorneys provide legal assistance twice a week to the accused persons. The three candidate attorneys represent the accused persons in the mediation stage, with the drafting of their guilty pleas and the trial stages.
The Clinic compiles and produces stats on a monthly basis for the number of clients we service per year. We operate and maintain an accurate manual record of all cases, whereby clients complete a daily register, where after a file is opened by the attorney and issued with a reference number, in order to facilitate effective and professional file management, case reviews and client service.
Stats Table.docxThe following table highlights the number of clients the Clinic assisted during 2019.
The office further provides back-up legal and administrative services to approximately 5 advice offices in indigent and marginalized communities in the surrounding Cape Metro, Boland and West Coast Region of the Western Cape. The Law Clinic through its cluster of paralegal offices, provides the following services:
Administrative support (e.g. in financial and file management, fundraising, etc.)
Back-up legal support for cases required to be handled by an attorney and technical support with the advice offices’ own cases.
Workshops: on a quarterly basis short training workshops are held on a legal topic.
(See attached hereto letters, from the following advice offices, namely the Mitchell’s Plain Community Advice and Development Project, marked as Annexure ‘LC8’ and the Langa Community Advice Services, marked as Annexure ‘LC9’, advising of the impact of our services on the community).
Mitchell's Plain Confirmatory letter.pdfConfirmatory letter from Langa Advice Office.pdfCommunity education is regarded as an important part of the Clinic’s strategy in addressing the plight of the poor and other marginalised groups. Furthermore we host Wills Week in areas outside of our network of the designated advice offices, on a quarterly basis.
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