BEGINNING next year, the Supreme Court will require law students to complete the Clinical Legal Education Program before taking the Bar examination.

The court said that the Revised Law Student Practice Rule requires all law schools to establish CLEP and law clinics nationwide.

“The CLEP and the law clinics are mandated on the need to ensure access to justice of the marginalized sector and enhancing legal education by inculcating in law students the value of legal professional social responsibility and preparing them for the practice of law, through experiential education,” it added.

Under the program, students will help resolve cases and legal issues under the supervision of a lawyer. It will be mandated for completion during their last year in law school.

Last week, the High Tribunal and the Legal Education Board conducted a three-day CLEP summit to tackle the legal aid needs of communities and services rendered by law clinics.

The summit also aimed to “discuss the legal aid needs of the communities and services rendered by law clinics in the country, the potential impact of the Revised Law Student Practice Rule in addressing access to justice issues, as well as theories and principles in clinical legal education such as experiential learning, clinical pedagogy, professional ethics, and skills building for law student practitioners.”

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo earlier said that CLEP will increase public access to legal services.

“Access to justice has increased and the poor and marginalized sectors of society have been assured a place in our judicial system through the CLEP,” Gesmundo said.