Studenckie poradnictwo prawne – sięganie do antycznych wzorów nauczania prawa

In the Roman Republic, providing legal advice was treated as the most worthy civil duty. Furthermore, giving legal advice was an indispensable preliminary stage for a later political career. In the period of the Late Roman Empire, the legal profession developed in the form of a corporation of people serving legal advice and pleading before courts. The legal education differed in the period of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire. In the former one, education of a young lawyer primarily consisted of practicing under the care and supervision of a master, who was a jurist. As an example of such method of education may serve the career of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Moreover, in the period of Principate, the most significant development of law took place by means of interpretation conducted by jurists. What is more, in the same period, the first law schools were established. At the same time, the need arose to create a textbook introducing students to the legal principles. An example is the Gaius’ Institutiones manual, which presents the Roman law system according to the genera and species divisions. The article concerns various concepts and reforms of legal education in Poland. Furthermore, the article discusses the role that can be played by the student legal clinics, which refers to the ancient models of legal education.