Presenting the results of the monitoring of the Legal Clinic of Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, it seems that the university does not agree with its results, and that the work will finish at the end of the presentation.

But this is a case where the inner feelings are the opposite and the monitoring became the beginning of development and improvement. The presentation of the clinic’s results and the identification of gaps and weaknesses in the work initiated the process of developing a legal clinic development plan.

Within a month after the monitoring, the Association and clinic’s representatives, worked on the phased implementation of the recommendations and identified opportunities for their implementation. Some steps to implement the recommendations have already been implemented.

And as a result, on November 1, 2019, the University approved a Plan for the Development of a Legal Clinic.

The results of the work on the Development Plan did not make to wait so long. Today the legal clinic:

• differentiates forms of legal aid provided in the consultation journal;
• increase the awareness about the legal clinic by posting information in stakeholders and social networks;
• maintains records of the case management of the clinic;
• improves the quality of law education activities by legal clinic students.

However, clearly defined functions and deadlines, defined steps and a formal approach to implementing the plan – will undoubtedly contribute to more fundamental and systemic changes that will help the legal clinic become even more progressive.

The implementation of monitoring of legal clinics is carried out by the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation initiative “Development of regional leadership and establishing a model of coordination of the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine.”

Author: Taras Shcherbatiuk