ABSTRACT
Clinical Legal Education (CLE) is an experiential learning process of teaching law that was introduced with the major aim of producing lawyers with community consciousness, ethical skills and competence to handle legal issues in accordance with the global best practice. This research examined the role of CLE in promoting legal practice in Nigeria by analysing the activities of Law Clinics and the Clinicians to see how they are helpful to the society and the law students aspiring to becoming lawyers in line with global best practice. The research relates experiences of law students in projects such as social justice and public interest lawyering which cover Prison/pre-trial detainees project, Community outreach/street law, the Stop Torture Project, Freedom of Information Act Projects and client interview and counselling among other activities of Law Clinics. The choice of this research is burnout of the recent constant attacks on the legal profession from the Bar and/or Bench that many attributed to the nature of half-baked and unethical lawyers produced yearly from the University because of the strict nature of teaching law in theories devoid of practice/practical application of the theories to real life issues. The problem of the research boarders on the non-inclusion of practical skills and legal ethics in the legal education curriculum and the problem of the failure of lawyers to embrace the professional values of providing free legal service to the indigent members of the society. The first objective of the research is to look at the extent at which law students through constant application of CLE Methodologies can effectively integrate legal ethics. Secondly, to examine how the Nigerian Universities can adequately educate law students through the content and methodologies of CLE curriculum to perform effectively after graduation. Finally, to examine how CLE can inculcate the habit of rendering free legal service by students to indigent members of the society. The research used doctrinal, empirical and teleological methods of research. The findings of the research includes insufficient ethical curriculum for teaching law courses in the universities, resistance from law students due to over-population in the classroom and resistance from some legal practitioners, judges and law lecturers. The research finally recommended the incorporation of CLE ethical curriculum in law courses taught in the university, mandatory use of formative assessment methodologies in teaching law courses and CLE advocates need to partner with NBA and the judiciary for effective implementation of CLE.