A law clinic as an innovative method of teaching law students

The paper discusses the process of the modernization of Russian legal education, in which a special focus is on practical training of future lawyers; an important role in this process belongs to clinical teaching. There determined the value of a legal clinic as an organizational structure and a special training program. The integration of these values allows identifying the nature of the legal clinic as an innovative method for training law students; the essence of the method is to develop the students' professional competences through dealing with "real" cases and solving real problems. The paper describes the content and programme of clinical legal education, presents an innovative (clinical) curriculum, including general and special training courses, areas of the legal clinic activity and rules for the legal work of students under the guidance of teachers to provide free legal services for low-income and underprivileged citizens. The author elaborates on possible offsite trips for the purpose of providing free legal aid and legal public awareness (the reception of citizens in the offices of government and municipal institutions, legal assistance to non-government organizations, thematic seminars, walk-in days, visits to the regions of the Republic, etc.). The author further analyses the role of the legal clinic at higher institutions and its value for students, teachers and clients.