Teaching, Learning and Researching: Practical Skills in Client Interviewing

Abstract

HKU Faculty of Law is the first (and perhaps the only) common-law law school in the Australasian region (if not the world) that makes it compulsory for all final-year law students to undergo practical client interview training through standardized clients interviews (SCI) before they start working as trainees or pupils. Since February 2013, more than 1,800 HKU law students learned through SCI the essential skills in conducting an initial meeting with client. This paper discusses how to make SCI work effectively for large cohorts (more than 300 yearly) of students and, more importantly, presents empirical data of SCI assessment and evaluation results of the last four cohorts of students with a view to understanding how gender and learning through second language (i.e. English) impact students’ learning and experience. This paper will also introduce the latest initiative in linking up SCI and HKU’s clinical legal education programme in practical legal training.