Law Clinics in Taiwan: Can Clinical Legal Education Succeed in this Civil Law Jurisdiction with an Undergraduate Legal Education System?

臺灣的法律實習課程：在大陸法系國家的大學部法律教育是否可以成功推動？

在多數國家，法律實習課程可謂法學教育重要之一環。但仍有許多國家並未設有法律實習課程，臺灣即一顯例。關於法律實習課程應如何納入臺灣的法學教育系統，此一議題值得臺灣的法學教育者關切與深思。當論及法律實習課程，普遍受到關注的議題包括：大學部學生能夠從事法律實習課程嗎？能夠透過參與法律實習課程，因而從中獲得學習上利益嗎？讓學生實際地參與法律實務，是否有法律上之顧慮？由學生所參與之法律實務工作，對於陳述之品質有何影響？如何使得學生所參與的法律實習工作，與既有的法律實務學徒制度相互配合？臺灣的法學院是否有足夠的經費支付學生的法律實習教育？歸根究柢，上述之問題理應不構成向法學院的學生們介紹法律實習教育的嚴重阻礙。臺灣的法學院應該在課堂向學生們介紹法律實習工作，並給予機會使學生們獲益於法律實習教育。

Law school clinics are an important part of legal education around the world, but there are still many places without clinics, including Taiwan. It is important for Taiwanese legal educators to consider whether and how clinical education might fit into the Taiwanese legal education system. When discussing clinical education, several concerns are commonly raised: are undergraduate students capable of doing and benefitting from clinical work? Is student practice legal? What effect does student practice have on quality of representation? How does a clinic fit with the existing apprenticeship program? Who would teach a clinic? How do clinics fit with the legal academy’s view of itself and its purposes? Can Taiwanese law schools afford to operate clinics? Ultimately, none of these concerns presents a serious obstacle to the introduction of clinical education. Taiwanese law schools should introduce clinics to their curriculum to give students the opportunity to enjoy the many benefits of clinical education.