From June 14th to 19th, excluding the weekend, the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Vientiane hosted a workshop on Clinical Legal Education (CLE). The event, facilitated by Professor Elise Poillot from the University of Luxembourg and Mr. Fabrice Hénard, an international expert in higher education quality assurance and TTVET, and CEO of the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies, aimed to enhance the CLE programme and the capacities of teachers involved in CLE at the FLP and to contribute to a platform for teachers’ exchange with professors from Luxembourg University.
Nineteen teachers from five departments, the FLP CLE, the Academic Division, and other teachers with a CLE background participated, sharing their knowledge and experiences. Professor Elise and Mr. Fabrice discussed CLE in Luxembourg and Europe, while FLP participants shared their insights on CLE at the FLP.
The discussions centered on setting appropriate standards for CLE programmes, comparing European standards with those at the FLP, and identifying beneficial standards for adoption. During the second day, participants shared their ideal set of standards for the legal clinic and discussed potential challenges in adopting and implementing these standards.
On the last day, seven participants from the FLP—Mr. Pangthong, Ms. Thasanalone, Mr. Intha, Ms. Duangmala, Mr. Phanthasack, Ms. Vilay, and Ms. Khampheiw—gave short presentations addressing the following questions: What were the most significant points raised during this seminar that will benefit your clinic? Among the topics covered, which would you have liked to explore in more depth (e.g., clinical program content, implementation of standards, etc.)? How do you envision the follow-up to this seminar in terms of collaboration between the Luxembourg clinic and your clinic?
Participants expressed a keen interest in further exploring topics like clinical program content and standards implementation. They also emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration between the Luxembourg and Laos CLE programs.
Feedback highlights included positive remarks on the workshop’s content, noting that it would improve their work quality in CLE. The knowledge-sharing sessions were particularly useful, and participants expressed a desire for more workshops on Clinical Legal Education, believing that additional training would further enhance their skills and understanding of best practices in CLE.