Refugee Law Clinic

The university-certified training programme "Refugee Law Clinic - Human Rights Law in Practice" was established during the summer semester of 2016 by the Faculty of Law at the University of Tübingen in cooperation with the Transdiciplinary Course Program and Career Service (TRACS) and the student legal advice society Refugee Law Clinic Tübingen e.V.. A new class commences every summer semester and runs for two semesters.

As part of the course students will initially acquire and deepen specialist knowledge in immigration and asylum law. Additionally, they are taught interdisciplinary key qualifications such as trauma-awareness and counselling skills. Subsequently and concurrently they will then become active as counsellors themselves, guided and supervised by experienced practitioners. The Refugee Law Clinic, thus, on the one hand, responds to the urgent need of civil society and the people seeking protection in Tübingen, Reutlingen and the region. At the same time, it offers committed students of all diciplines opportunities to gain insight into their future professional practice and counselling experience, to deepen their knowledge in the field of international law and human rights for their studies and to acquire knowledge of administrative law in the special field of immigration and asylum law. To participate in the programme, German language skills are required as necessary to be able to follow lectures in German and to be able to read, understand and work with legal texts.

After completing the programme participants receive the certificate "Refugee Law Clinic - Human Rights Law in Practice" by the University of Tübingen and can continue to be active as volunteer counsellors to refugees. Students with a main subject in law will receive a key qualification as required by JaPrO as well. Additionally, every year we offer varying lectures, workshops and excursions for students to participate in.

The project is supported by its patrons Professor Dr. Jochen von Bernstorff, LL.M. and the former Vice President of the VG Sigmaringen Prof. Wolfgang Armbruster. It is administrated by Ulrike Schulze as research assistant to the chair and organised by Micha Heinkelein and Selin Wacker as student assistants.