Azalina: KBGUM undergraduates to attend sessions conducted by legal aid department (Updated)

PETALING JAYA: Universiti Malaya law students will be able to observe legal aid consultation sessions by the Legal Aid Department nationwide in a joint programme launched today.
Stating this, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said a legal aid clinic can bridge the law school and the local community.
She stressed that clinical legal education has provided students with an understanding of the legal environment and to instill professional values and a sensitivity to the concept of justice.
"Through this programme, the undergraduates will be taught the proper procedures to be observed when giving legal advice to members of the public.
"It is my hope similar model be adopted for future collaborations with other universities which have legal clinics in Malaysia.
"This will be an opportunity for them undergraduates to be exposed to real life situations and thus strengthen their theoretical and practical knowledge of the law," she said in her speech at the launch of UM's legal aid clinic.
Azalina said the establishment of legal aid clinic plays an important role not only in reaching out to individuals and providing them an avenue to receive free legal consultation and advice, but also as central component of strategies to enhance access to justice in general.
"Furthermore as a pilot project, the Legal Aid Department will also be training the undergraduates on the giving of legal advice to the family of the child sexual crime victims once the relevant regulations and standard operating procedures for legal companion services have been firmed up," she said.
The UM's legal aid clinic, established in 2014, provides free and basic legal advice to members of the community with 30 student advisers and 10 support team members at a time.
Noting the financial assistance it needs, Azalina announced an allocation of RM100,000 for its community outreach and street law programme to help the underprivileged.