Equipping China's aspiring legal professionals
Our Chinese partners are providing experiential learning for a new generation of legal specialists committed to using law for social good
Increasingly, law school graduates in China are choosing to work in government legal offices. Their understanding of rule of law, willingness to pursue social justice through law, and ability to use their knowledge to serve the public and empower citizens are contributing to legal reform and development in China. Although a number of law schools in China are adopting clinical programs to develop students' legal skills, few provide instruction in administrative law, which regulates government activity. To train a new generation of public interest legal professionals, we support experiential administrative law clinics at three law schools. To date, 336 students have enrolled, and 1,739 citizens have received legal counseling, like Diao Zhixue, who was injured at a heavy machinery factory where he worked.
A decade later, after years of writing complaint letters to state his case, Mr. Diao was finally issued a certificate from his local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau confirming the injury as work-related. He then sought compensation from the factory—but management refused and filed administrative litigation against the bureau, demanding that it withdraw his certificate. In need of professional advice, he sought help from the new law clinic. During the ensuing trial, the two students representing Mr. Diao earned high praise from the judge who ruled in favor of Mr. Diao, confirming the work-related injury certification, clearing the way for Mr. Diao to finally receive compensation from the factory. "After 10 years of grievances, I finally won. It's because of the clinic."