A delegation of law professors and clinical attorneys from the Omiya Law School visited the Alexander Community Law Center this past November to learn more about American clinical legal education and to help develop models for new legal clinics in Japan.
Led by Professor Setsuo Miyazawa, Vice President of Omiya Law School, the visiting professors and attorneys met with KGACLC staff to discuss models of service delivery, clinical instruction, and legal practice in California and the United States. The Omiya Law School is one of many law schools in Japan that are beginning to develop legal clinics and skills-oriented classes as part of their law school offerings. Professor Miyazawa was joined by Teruhisa Maruyama, Mitsuma Sakurai, Takeshi Higawara, and Lawrence Repeta.
Omiya Law School is located near Tokyo, and is one of the several new graduate-level law schools established in Japan that parallel the post-bachelor’s degree programs that are common in the United States. Until recently, the typical way to practice law in Japan was to obtain a bachelor’s degree in law and then take the bar examination.
Professor Angelo Ancheta, the KGACLC’s director, will be visiting the Omiya Law School in February 2006 and addressing the area’s local bar association to discuss opportunities and models for clinical legal education in Japan.
