GAJE 2025 Conference: Ukrainian Practices and Challenges in Clinical Legal Education

From July 23 to 26, 2025, Warsaw hosted an event that brought together lawyers, professors, students, activists, and experts from more than 90 countries — the 12th Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE) Worldwide Conference and the 11th European Network for Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE) Conference. The gathering united over 300 participants who came to seek answers to difficult questions: How do we talk about law in times of war? How do we teach when the very approaches to justice are changing? And what role should legal clinics play in this process?

This year’s conference was organized by the Global Alliance for Justice Education, the European Network for Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE), and the Polish Legal Clinics Foundation. The Faculty of Law at Lazarski University served as the venue.

The Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine (ALCU) joined the conference as a partner, with the Ukrainian delegation actively contributing to strategic planning. Maria Tsypiashchuk and Yuliia Lomzhets were part of the conference’s fundraising team. Most importantly, the ALCU representatives came to Warsaw to share their experience in developing a national network of legal clinics and ensuring their effective operation under wartime conditions.

GAJE 2025: Key Focus and Discussions

The theme of this year’s conference — “Justice Education in a Changing World: Exploring New Approaches to Global Challenges” — was closely tied to the issues shaping the legal community’s agenda in the 2020s:

– armed conflicts, in particular the full-scale war in Ukraine;
– the worsening of humanitarian crises;
– backsliding from the rule of law and democratic principles in a number of countries;
– the shrinking of civic space;
– climate change, which affects not only the environment but also legal systems, economies, and human rights.

These challenges are transforming not only legal realities but also the very philosophy of education. GAJE 2025 became a platform to discuss how legal education is changing in response to new global conditions — and what responsibility educators and academic institutions bear toward society.

Throughout the conference, participants engaged in a series of plenary sessions that raised fundamental questions about the role of education in shaping societies; more than 20 workshops dedicated to interactive teaching, legal awareness, access to justice, and advocacy; a range of panel discussions focused on emerging challenges and approaches to justice education; specialized thematic sessions where participants shared cases, practices, and innovations from around the world; as well as visits to local projects that put the principles of justice into action.

“The GAJE Conference was a unique experience in my life. I applied in the hope of finding an answer to the question: how can I strengthen clinical legal education at my alma mater when Ukraine is going through its most difficult times? And I can say right away: I found not only answers to my question but much more. I learned countless ideas for improving my legal clinic from highly experienced professionals from all over the world, and also from my colleagues who accompanied me throughout this journey. In Warsaw, representatives from Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America gathered, and among them I truly felt part of an important community. Together, we uphold the values of the rule of law, justice, and human rights as the foundation of peaceful and sustainable human development. We now understand that we are not alone in facing today’s challenges — and together, we are stronger than any obstacle. Our work in legal clinics is essential and valuable for society as a whole,” — shared Yelyzaveta Luhyna, a fourth-year law student (specialty D8 “Law”) at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, and deputy head of the legal clinic Adiutorium.

“What was especially valuable for me was realizing that despite our different professional and cultural backgrounds, we as a community face similar challenges: the need for legal education, the protection of human rights, and the development of clinical legal education. These shared challenges unite us and inspire us to search for effective solutions. I was sincerely glad to meet colleagues from all over the world. These new connections enriched my professional experience and may serve as a foundation for future partnerships and joint projects,” — noted Yuliia Saienko, Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Law Disciplines and Labor Law named after O.I. Protsevskyi, and curator of the legal clinic at H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University.

A special highlight of the program was the two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) held on July 22 and 27 — an intensive designed for those who teach others. The ToT focused on experiential learning, effective supervision, building emotional resilience, fostering trust between students and instructors, and developing assessment methodologies.

Legal Aid for War-Affected Individuals: Specialized Clinics

At the conference, the Ukrainian team conducted a workshop on Street Law as an effective tool in the work of legal clinics, along with two in-depth sessions that highlighted the specific features of clinical legal education under the conditions of full-scale war and the challenges faced by the network.

Maria Tsypiashchuk and Liudmyla Rudenko presented the experience of a specialized legal clinic on war-related issues operating at Sumy State University. The clinic’s main focus is providing assistance to those who lost their homes or no longer have access to them due to hostilities. Beyond consultations, the clinic explores legal mechanisms for compensation, supports strategic litigation on compensation for destroyed or damaged property, and engages in advocacy.

In less than two years, the legal clinic team has handled 265 cases, contributed to advisory bodies and the development of housing policies for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and organized two online schools for students on international humanitarian law, legal responsibility, and strategic case management.

The representatives of the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine also showcased the work of the legal clinic “Lawyers Without Borders” at the National Academy of Statistics, Accounting and Audit (Kyiv). This clinic specializes in issues arising from Russia’s armed aggression, in particular providing legal aid in cases involving civilians who were unlawfully detained, as well as those who have gone missing under special circumstances. Yuliia Bohdana and Olena Motuzka — lawyers working in this clinic together with students — carry out complex and highly sensitive work: documenting facts, collecting evidence, cooperating with law enforcement agencies, supporting families, and accompanying these cases at every stage.

Researching the Network: Where Are Ukrainian Legal Clinics Headed?

Yuliia Lomzhets and Viktoriia Orel presented the findings of a study conducted by the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine in spring 2025. The research assessed the current state of the network and identified priorities for its development. Legal clinics are evolving along with the country: some operate under shelling, others in new communities after relocation, and some are rebuilding after de-occupation. Despite differing conditions, clinics share a common need — for partnership, exchange, advocacy of their interests, and sustainability.

The survey made it possible to define key directions for the network’s growth:

– integrating the clinical component into national educational standards;
– creating a model practicum program based in legal clinics;
– establishing case-referral mechanisms between clinics;
– advocating for clinic representation in academic councils;
– developing partnerships and engaging in grant-funded activities.

All of these steps aim to strengthen clinics’ institutional capacity, influence the content of legal education, and develop network-wide collaboration. The research confirms that, despite the war, clinics remain active and committed to growth. Their focus is on institutional resilience, quality of education, and amplifying the student voice.

“This event holds special significance for me. For the first time, I spoke at a truly global forum about the prospects for developing clinical legal scholarship and education in Ukraine. It was not easy to gather my thoughts — this is a painful topic. But what proved incredibly valuable was the sense of interest, support, and understanding from participants around the world. It was also a great honor to represent the influential and inspiring Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine — a generator of creative initiatives that unites legal clinics across the country into a strong and cohesive network. After this conference, it became a little easier to breathe — because we are part of a community bound by shared values, ideas, and faith in the power of the rule of law and justice.” — Viktoriia Orel, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Law, Poltava University of Economics and Trade; Student Ombudsperson; Head of  the Legal Training Center “Pravova Studiia,” Poltava University of Economics and Trade).

These presentations were made possible with the support of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and the Swedish Institute. We are grateful to our partners for helping make our voice heard in the international arena.