The work with CLE in Cuba was initiated in late 2019, when RWI participated in an international conference on the lawyering profession in Havana and had the opportunity to be the first organization to introduce CLE in Cuba. Based on that experience, RWI developed a cooperation Programme with the overall objective to contribute to strengthened rule of law and access to justice in Cuba. The Programme also included cooperation with the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) and the International Bar Association (IBA), focusing on training for Cuban lawyers on international commercial law.

Throughout the work on CLE in Cuba, RWI has cooperated with the University of Valencia, the University of Havana and the National Organization of Bufetes Colectivos (Cuba’s National Lawyers Association). In the implementation of activities, RWI has also engaged with representatives of global and regional CLE networks, such as the Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE), the European Network of Legal Clinics (ENCLE), and the Latin American Network of Legal Clinics. The target groups of the Programme have been Cuban university professors and students, as well as practicing lawyers.

Key activities and results in Cuba

Through trainings, workshops and conferences, RWI has worked to establish CLE as a new and innovative pedagogical methodology in Cuba. CLE can be defined as a legal teaching method based on experiential learning which fosters the growth of knowledge, personal skills, and values, as well as promoting social justice, human rights, and improved access to justice. Through the Programme activities, RWI has aimed to provide new and expanded spaces where access to justice, rule of law, and human rights can be discussed and critically reflected upon.

Listen to José García Añón, Director of the Institute of Human Rights at the University of Valencia, explain the key characteristics of CLE, why CLE is important and its relation to human rights, as well as the opportunities for CLE to continue to develop in Cuba:

Professor Yan Gúzman Hernández at the University of Havana reflects on the importance and relevance of CLE in Cuba:

Elizabeth Moya Linares and Lidia Montes de Oca Fernández from the National Organization of Bufetes Colectivos (ONBC) give their views on how CLE is relevant for the lawyering profession in Cuba:

Key results from RWI’s activities include:

• Over 150 university professors, students, and lawyers increased their capacities on CLE
• Six legal clinics established in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Pinar del Río, providing support to individuals and groups in situations of vulnerability in Cuba
• The inclusion of CLE in the national education plan for legal studies for all higher education institutions in Cuba
• One manual on CLE produced in cooperation with Cuban universities (click here to download the manual)
• Increased contact between Cuban universities and global and regional CLE networks
• Reflections from Cuban participants on the programme

Some of the voices of Cuban lawyers and teachers in RWI’s programme on the relevance of CLE and legal clinics in Cuba:

“Access to justice constituted a common thread and criteria for identifying the social needs to which the work of each of the clinical projects currently being developed at the University of Havana is directed”

“At a time when Cuban society is immersed in great social, economic and legal transformations, the clinical teaching of Law as an experience of proven effectiveness, will undoubtedly contribute to the training of professional jurists who, from their undergraduate training, will have to deal from a practical perspective with clients and real cases, ethical dilemmas and common problems in the practice of Law”

“Before these experiences I saw it (Clinical Legal Education) as the same thing that we have worked for years. Now I see it as another option, different and valid both for the training of students and for raising the legal culture of society”

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Manual de Clínicas Jurídicas

 

Project lead