INTERNSHIPS AS A METHOD FOR PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES ACQUISITION

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) aims to change the system of teaching law, putting the students in the core of the system so they will acquire the competences they need in order to become high quality professionals. The European convergence criteria in education is a challenge for the university as a whole that will result in significant changes in regard to the progressive introduction of new teaching methods, in order to improved levels of academic excellence of Spanish universities.

We propose internships in law offices throughout the years that last the degree so students will learn the place of attorneys in society and in the judicial system, by seeing the process of case management and being involved in the client’s interviews and file management.
The daily involvement in cases will provide the students with an impartial view of how a law office deals with clients' different legal problems. By working as an intern in a law office the student will gain communication, time management, organizational and interpersonal skills along with a concrete understanding of the advocacy process and the lawyer’s role in the judicial system.

This method provides a real experience for students and it seeks to show students the reality of law: going beyond abstract law making formulations and discovering the everyday nature of the situations covered by the law.

The project presented is an innovative method consistent with the new requirements of adaptation to the EHEA and the need to promote practices, since it generates the contact of students with the practice of law which motivates the students.