CUNEF Universidad launches a Legal Clinic to provide free legal advice to vulnerable groups

CUNEF Universidad presented its Legal Clinic, a space for legal practice, education and community service, where Law students will be able to offer free legal advice to vulnerable groups and individuals, under the direct supervision of experienced professors and lawyers. The initiative is led by CUNEF Universidad’s Department of Law, in cooperation with third-sector organisations, such as Fundación Pro Bono España and Fundación Prodis, as well as leading law firms.

The purpose of CUNEF Universidad’s Legal Clinic is to train lawyers who are committed to fighting for the rights of the weakest while promoting social responsibility at the University. Through agreements with third-sector organisations, the Clinic will provide general legal advisory services in several legal disciplines, including civil, criminal and labour law.

Law students at CUNEF Universidad will have the chance to participate in all phases of the advisory process, from interviewing clients to gather information to preparing legal documents and presenting them to the corresponding authorities. This will enable them to learn from professors and legal experts, gain practical experience in real-life situations and develop key competences, such as legal analysis, reasoning and effective communication, while also enhancing their ethical commitment to their profession and to society.

Project Presentation

The project was presented in the Auditorium of CUNEF Universidad before leading academic, legal and third-sector experts, including Leire Larracoechea, co-founder and Executive Director of Fundación Pro Bono España, Ramón Fernández-Aceytuno, partner at Ramón y Cajal Abogados, Valle Oñate, General Director of Fundación Prodis, Carmen Ladrón de Guevara, director of the Legal Clinic of CUNEF Universidad, and Andrés Betancor, director of the Department of Law at CUNEF Universidad.

As Carmen Ladrón de Guevara stressed in her speech, “the Legal Clinic represents a unique opportunity for our students to learn in a context of social reality and, at the same time, it contributes to improving access to justice for those who need it most”. In turn, Andrés Betancor pointed out that “the Legal Clinic takes us one step further in the training of accomplished legal experts, capable of using their knowledge rigorously and understanding the needs of the society that they are meant to serve”.

With this initiative, CUNEF Universidad reiterates its commitment to teaching law combining academic excellence, hands-on experience and social responsibility, while contributing to protecting the rights of the most vulnerable.