Influence of innovations in the field of legal clinical education and science on the student-lawyer in the conditions of military action

Abstract

The article examined the content of the concept of professionalization of the student-legal student through the prism of legal clinical education in the conditions of military condition.
The conclusion is drawn on the necessity of search and introduction of innovative approaches to professionalization of the students at Ukrainian legal schools, which will be a worthy answer to the new challenges of the present, which hinder the process of professional identity of future lawyers.
As a result of the research, it is determined that the important condition of professionalization of the legal student is formation of his professional identity in the legal profession, which, in turn, depends on his social welfare and self-realization.
It is justified that professional identity is a complex entity, in which three components are traditionally distinguished: Cognitive (knowledge of the peculiarities of its group and comprehension of itself as a member), value (assessment of its group and attitude to its membership) and emotional (acceptance or not acceptance of its group). The development of professional identity implies constant focus on professional growth, flexibility in decision-making.
New challenges of the present are revealed, which hinder the process of professionalization of future lawyers (transition to training from off-line to online, lack of knowledge of lawyers, including clinics, legal English, etc.).
Paradoxically, the war is taking place in Ukraine, and our country is not economically developed. However, students, studying in legal clinics of Ukrainian universities, when the need for legal assistance to vulnerable categories of war-affected population has increased in times, more and more feel the value and importance of their profession and see themselves in it.
It is concluded that innovative approaches to modern legal clinical education, as well as development of legal clinical science, promotion of the idea of creation of clinical faculties in higher educational institutions of Ukraine, at which clinical professors will work and transfer practical knowledge to students-lawyers – all this will be a guarantee of successful professionalism of modern applicants of higher legal education soon. In its turn, the mentioned will promote those domestic specialized institutions of higher education, which prepare lawyers, will once again be in the TOP of the most popular universities among university entrants, and their graduates will be even more proud of their profession, will be more demanded and successful in the labor market.
It is proposed to adopt positive experience of introduction of educational-professional programs «Clinical law» of legal schools of US universities to Ukrainian universities, which prepare lawyers, to increase the level of legal clinical training of our students.
For Ukrainian teachers, heads of legal clinics such forms and methods of teaching are non-traditional and require leaving the zone of comfort, to acquire new skills or to strengthen existing, first of all, concerning legal English. However, this should be done for legal education in Ukraine to become attractive for applicants again.