Clinical Legal Education in the Philippines: Towards Institutionalization, Pedagogy, and a Professoriat

The 2019 revised law student practice rule mandating clinical training has reenergized Philippine clinical legal education. Despite the pandemic that followed its promulgation, the revised rule spurred law schools to launch programs serving a range of marginalized communities. The new programs follow a long history of skills education and access-to-justice programs in the country. In this article, the authors trace the development of Philippine clinical legal education and, drawing on local, regional, and international experience, call on educators and reformers to harness the momentum created by the revised rule and deepen its institutional and pedagogical foundations and create a dedicated clinical professoriat.