Program Overview

Clerkship Programme Overview

The Clerkship programme is facilitated by Judge Malcom Wallis in the School of Law. The programme is designed to give Law students an understanding of the judiciary by enhancing their research skills and knowledge of real-life court cases.

Programme Details

The programme sees senior students appointed by Judge Wallis research cases and prepare case notes of cases that Judge Wallis will sit in at the Supreme Court of Appeal. The students then debate these cases as a group. While the Court is in recess, the students go through court records and written summaries to prepare their own case notes, which Judge Wallis will be involved in. After concluding and compiling their notes, they present their findings to their peers and debate them with the judge.

Rationale Behind the Programme

Judge Wallis stated that the idea for the programme came from the many courts around the world, including the Constitutional Court, that have clerks undertaking research and working with judges for a year after graduating. The students involved are senior students who have a grasp of basic legal principles. This introduces them to the practical work of the law, where they encounter real legal problems and see how they are addressed by the courts.

Benefits of the Programme

Judge Wallis hopes that the programme will make the students better lawyers by honing their research skills and broadening their horizons. The fact that a number of participants have gone on to win prestigious scholarships, study at top universities, and take on roles in large firms and as clerks at the Constitutional Court indicates that the programme is achieving some of these goals.

Student Reflections

Law students who have participated in the programme have reflected on the learning experience, stating that it has given them an opportunity to put theory into practice. They have learned to be open-minded in their thinking and approach to legal problems, which has refined their thinking and will benefit their academic careers. The skills acquired from the programme, including analyzing facts, determining relevant information, and broadening knowledge of the law, are meant to prepare students for being lawyers.

Skills Acquired

The programme has sharpened students' research, writing, reading, and speaking skills, which will assist them in their future careers as attorneys. These skills have taught students how to be objective, critical, and responsive, and how to reflect these skills on paper.