By: Halyna Kokhan, Programme Officer, Ukraine Office
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Ukraine and our implementing partner, the Association of Legal Clinics of Ukraine (ALCU), convened a three-day workshop for legal clinic coordinators on March 26-28 under the theme “An Effective Legal Clinic in Wartime: A Programme for Development and Management.”
The school brought together 20 participants from universities across Ukraine, united by a shared commitment to strengthening their legal clinics and navigating the extraordinary challenges posed by the ongoing war. Discussions ranged from the fundamental question of a legal clinic’s identity and role as both an educational environment and an access-to-justice instrument to the practical challenges of student motivation, institutional support, and the potential of clinic– specialisation to deepen legal expertise.
The programme covered a wide range of operational and pedagogical themes across its three days. Participants explored the ethical dimensions of clinical legal work, including dilemmas unique to the student practitioner context and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in clinic operations. Sessions on document management and workflow automation demonstrated how digital tools such as the Notion platform used by the Ukrainian Catholic University Law Clinic can shift coordinators’ roles from operational to managerial and mentoring. Client-centered consultation practices were also examined in depth, with participants sharing approaches including structured guidance materials and simulated consultations to prepare students for real client interactions.
The final sessions addressed legal outreach and awareness-raising — a core function of legal clinics — with a focus on interactive methodologies that foster deeper learning through discussion, engagement, and practice. The school is implemented under the Human Rights Infrastructure for Ukraine 2025–2027 Programme, funded by the Government of Sweden through Sida, and reflects RWI’s commitment to building sustainable clinical legal education in Ukraine through hands-on, practitioner-led capacity development.
About the Programme
The HRIU: Human Rights Infrastructure for Ukraine 2025–2027 Programme supports Ukraine’s recovery and its European Union accession process through a human rights–based approach. The programme seeks to strengthen the capacity of key Ukrainian institutions and local actors to integrate and apply international human rights standards in governance, justice, and recovery efforts.
Read more about RWI’s work in Ukraine: Our work in Ukraine – The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Read more about RWI’s work with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights: Our work with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights – The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
This workshop was made possible with the generous support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). RWI acknowledges their commitment to strengthening human rights capacity in the region.