The Commonwealth
  1. Home
  2. What's New
    1. Latest News - RSS
  3. Who We Are
  4. What we do
    1. Democracy and Consensus Building
    2. Economic Development
    3. Education
    4. Environment and Climate Change
    5. Gender
    6. Good offices for peace
    7. Health
    8. Human Development
    9. Human Rights
    10. Rule of law
    11. Public Sector Development
    12. Sport
    13. Youth
  5. How we do it
    1. CHOGM
    2. Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group
    3. Technical Cooperation and Strategic Response Group
    4. Policy Development
    5. Advisory Services
    6. Development Network
    7. Funding
    8. Case Studies
  6. News
    1. News Archive
    2. Press Releases
    3. Multimedia
    4. Commonwealth Newsletter
    5. Follow us
    6. Events
    7. FAQs
    8. Media Contacts
  7. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Library & Archives
  8. Publications
  9. Employment
  10. FAQs
    1. Acronyms
  11. Contact Us

Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA)

The CLEA fosters and promotes high standards of legal education in the Commonwealth. Founded in 1971, it is a Commonwealth-wide body with regional Chapters and Committees in South Asia, Southern Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean and the UK.

Membership is open to individuals, schools of law and other institutions concerned with legal education and research.

The Association’s Programme of Action is based on the need to make legal education socially relevant and professionally useful, particularly through:

  • the development of law curricula and teaching methodology;
  • assisting law schools to prepare themselves for the demands of the profession in the context of the information revolution and other global challenges; and
  • supporting continuing legal education and distance learning programmes.

Publications and research

  • Journal of Commonwealth Law and Legal Education is published twice a year and contains news and views about law and legal education developments in the Commonwealth.
  • A variety of books on law and legal education in the Commonwealth is also published.

The Association’s website provides access to a wide range of Commonwealth legal materials, model curricula and some publications.

Conferences

The Association organises regular international and regional conferences and seminars. Recently, it has organised/co-sponsored conferences on topics such as law and development, human rights and just and honest government, as well as on legal education. Venues have included Australia, Nigeria, Cayman Islands, UK, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, Canada, Kenya and Hong Kong.

Commonwealth Law Lecture Series

This is a unique series that takes place on a Commonwealth-wide basis. Lectures are given by leading legal academics and judges.

Curriculum development

The Association is committed to developing new curricula that reflect both the importance of Commonwealth jurisprudence and the need for law schools in the Commonwealth (and beyond) to equip their students to meet the demands of the 21st century lawyer. Subjects include:

  • human rights for the Commonwealth;
  • transnational crime/anti-terrorism law;
  • environmental justice (in preparation);
  • international trade law (in preparation).

Strengthening law schools

  • Providing training and materials for the teaching of a transnational crime course.
  • Assisting in the distribution of law books to Commonwealth law schools.
  • Establishing the Commonwealth Legal Education Research Centre in Cameroon.

Strengthening the Harare Commonwealth Principles

The Association works with the Commonwealth and three other Commonwealth professional organisations: the Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, on the development of the Latimer House Guidelines for the Commonwealth. The Association supports the work of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.

Activities for law students

The Commonwealth Moot Competition is held biennially, with the last three competitions being held in United Kingdom, Kenya and Hong Kong. The Commonwealth Students’ Essay Competition is also held biennially.

For further information on the work of the Association and details of membership, please contact:

c/o Legal & Constitutional Affairs Division
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House
Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5HX
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)207 747 6415
Fax: +44 (0)20 7004 3649

clea@commonwealth.int
www.clea-web.com