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About the Project I Course Information & Syllabi I Country Information I Articles I Discussion Forums |
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24 Tzar Assen
Str. The Foundation was registered in 1998. It was, and still is, sponsored by COLPI – Budapest and Open Society Foundation – Sofia, in the academic years 1999 and 2000. It received a grant from ICNL in 2000 to support the development of an NGO law clinic. In 1999, four clinics launched by
the Foundation were functioning at the Law Faculty of Plovdiv University:
A fifth clinic, on NGO Law, was launched in April 2000. The five clinics function as a part of the curriculum
of the Law Faculty. The students take 60 hours (credit) for their work in the
clinics. Later in 2000 we will also be adding a clinic in
Administrative Law. The number of students accepted in one clinical course is up
to 8. They work with a law professor and with a practicing lawyer, meeting each
of them once a week. The aim is to give the students a chance to meet “live
clients” and try to solve their legal problems under the guidance of a
practicing lawyer. The legal clinics have their premises in a building owned by
Plovdiv University. The first part of the clinical course is theoretical. The
students are introduced to the theory of the relevant discipline. They also use
the computer lab of the Center for Legal Aid Foundation, where they take
classes with a computer expert training them to work with various information
systems. They have specialized classes with a psychologist and a course on
legal ethics. At the beginning of the new clinic on NGO law, a short seminar
was conducted for the students who were enrolled so as to provide them with an
introduction to the legal framework they will be studying, and to give an idea
of the clinical method of education.
ICNL personnel from Budapest (Radost Toftisova) and Washington (Stephan
Klingelhofer) as well as ICNL consultants in Bulgaria and members of the
Bulgarian Parliament who are responsible for the proposed new law affecting
NGOs participated in the seminar. The second part of the clinical course is practical
training. The students meet their “clients” in the premises of the Center.
After having discussed the problems of the client who needs a consultation, the
students-lawyers meet with the practicing lawyer-supervisor to discuss the consultation/advise
they need to give. The Foundation is trying to organize the clinics in a way that brings them closer to modern university education, and provides a better preparation for the students to enter practice in the relevant area of law. We believe the computer lab is a great opportunity for them to work with the latest information technology products. For further information please contact:
Professor Tsvetana Kamenova |