ABSTRACT

This chapter describes and reflects on two different although related experiences regarding the design and operation of specialised legal clinics which aim to provide free legal services, assistance and representation to migrants and refugees in the Latin America and Caribbean region, while at the same time catering to the educational requirements of law students. The first experience concerns the development of an external law clinic for migrants and refugees in Trinidad and Tobago. The second relates to the creation and running of the Legal Clinic for Migrants at Los Andes University in Bogotá, Colombia, an in-house clinic. As this chapter shows, the dialogue between these two experiences is very fecund as it allows for the illustration of the factors considered in the creation of this type of clinic, as well as the challenges faced by establishing and maintaining such initiatives and attending to the unmet legal needs of this vulnerable population.