Public legal education:
Improving lives, empowering communities

Welcome to issue no. 3 of the Public Legal Education Network newsletter.

In this issue:

• International funding - A model for the UK ?
• PLE in Action - Govan Education Law Unit
• PLE in Scotland
• A Canadian Retrospective
• Roma Project Worker - 60 second interview

International Funding

Ever wondered how public legal education works in other countries, and
how it gets funded ? Plenet has taken a look at PLE work in Australia and Canada and has come up with a model that could be used here in the UK. We’d be interested to know what you think.

The study looks at a integrated local service model in Australia and
the specific 'sole-purpose' model of PLE funding in Canada. Looking
at the pros and cons of both models, the paper recommends a combination of approaches.

Read our study and tell us what do you think about the model ?
Public Legal Education International Funding Models (150 KB)

Govan Law Centre Education Law Unit

PLE at Govan Law Centre's Education Law Unit was singled out at a recent Scottish conference as an excellent model for successful PLE delivery.

The Unit aims to raise awareness of legal rights and make legal knowledge and skills accessible to advisors and individuals alike.

Legal education is part of their strategy to assist the people of Glasgow, combining legal casework with community education and support. Recently, their focus has been on promoting and protecting the rights of children with special educational needs.

Find out more about their approach:
Govan Law Centre Education Law Unit

PLE in Scotland

Public legal education came under the spotlight at a conference held
in Edinburgh this March. Delegates heard about current projects
taking place in Scotland and debated several proposals for the way forward. Professor Alan Paterson from Strathclyde University was chair for the day. He concluded that the word from the day was 'empowerment' and,

'Although PLE should be aimed at everyone, there is support for taking
on some targeted pilot projects and young people seem to be a prime target group to start with.'

The conference was organised jointly by the Scottish Government and Consumer Focus Scotland.

Read the conference report to check out what happened:
Public Legal Education Report (1.7 MB)

Canadian Retrospective

Canada has led the way in public legal education. Plenet is pleased
to share with you an absorbing podcast about how PLE evolved in
Canada over its 35 year history. A range of topics are covered including its radical origins and empowering possibilities.

The podcast is a recording of interviews between Richard Eppick (Fulbright Fellow) and two leading practitioners in the field: Carol McEown, who worked at the Legal Services Society of British Columbia, and Lois Gander QC, Founding Director of the Legal Resource Centre and Professor at the Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta.

Listen to this 40 minute podcast: Interview (opens media player) or go to PLE Theory and Practice blog

Is PLE about a more efficient justice system, a dispute
prevention tool or a radical approach to open democracy ?

What do you think?

Like more details ? News and Events

June 2009

www.plenet.org.uk

60 second interview

This month's 60 second interview is with Dragica Felja, Monitoring Project worker at the Roma Support Group, a community organisation working with East European Roma refugees and migrants in London.

Dragica Felja
Dragica said, 'As most of my clients have literacy problems, one- to- one advice and community meetings are important and valuable ways of empowering my clients and making them more aware of their rights and entitlements.'

Read the interview in full:
60 second interview with Dragica Felja

Legal Empowerment Conference 2009

The first PLE conference in the UK took place in February and was a great success attracting lawyers and advisers, researchers and academics, educators and community development workers, policy makers and activists. Our theme, 'How can PLE empower individuals and communities ?' was thought provoking and resulted in some stimulating debates.

Read more about the conference:
Plenet Conference 2009

Spotlight on.....

What do we mean by legal capability ?
View here..
What do we mean by legal capability?

International Survey of PLE View here..
International Survey of PLE Programmes (34 KB)

Other Quick Links
Projects
Discussion and Themes

Plenet moves offices

January 2009 - Plenet moved to the 6th Floor, 63 St Mary's Axe, London EC3A 8AA

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June 2009