Law students of International Ala-Too University in Bishkek got a great opportunity to hear about legal clinics and law practice in Canada on the guest lecture of Mr. Muhammad Zubair, a Canadian lawyer interning at IDLO in Kyrgyzstan on March 14, 2019.

The presentation focused on a range of topics including the composition and areas of law practiced in legal clinics and the structure of civil and criminal cases in Canada. Mr. Zubair also shared some case management tips and tools with the students, as well as general advice for young professionals about to embark on their careers.

«I believe legal clinics can play an integral role in strengthening the legal and educational systems in Kyrgyzstan»,  — shared his thoughts Mr.  Zubair

Legal clinics are excellent establishments because they have multiple benefits:

• to the community  — they provide free legal aid and basic legal education to members of the public who cannot afford lawyers;
• to the universities  — they provide practical, hands-on experience for law students to work on real cases and help real clients;
• to the legal system  — they help lighten the burden on the courts by helping people mediate and settle matters privately out of court;
• to society as a whole  — they produce better-trained lawyers who have hands-on experience, they can lead to a better-informed public that knows their rights and they can lead to a less burdened, more efficient court system.

«The students were attentive and engaged and asked questions about interesting legal files I had worked on as well as career advice regarding mentorship opportunities and internships. I was impressed with their level of engagement and the interest they showed in the subject matter.»

Muhammad has worked at legal clinics in the U.S. and Canada as a law student, supervisor and a training lawyer. He has learned a great amount from his time in the clinics and from his mentors and is a big believer in the positive role legal clinics have in society.