ABOUT BUSINESS LAW CLINIC

The Business Law Clinic (BLC) aims at using the student resource to provide legal services to business communities that would realistically not afford legal services.

The Clinic focuses on commercial or transactional legal services. It is founded on the notion that enhancing access to transactional legal services empowers communities and facilitates inclusive and sustainable development.

The Business Law Clinic (BLC) is currently implementing a Transactional Law Clinic Pilot Project (TLC) with support from Research and Innovations Fund of Makerere University. The TLC is designed as an innovation to expand the use of clinical methods in legal education.

Through experiential learning selected law students are tasked to tackle issues of economic rights and economic development for community organisations. In the subsequent year the project will create a legal design lab, an innovative space which will be an intersection of human-cantered design, technology & law to generate new legal products and services to tackle social issues. The BLC intends to foster the pro bono spirit in the legal profession, provoke innovation, enhance economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, and ultimately boost financial inclusion in Uganda, especially among communities which cannot afford transactional legal services.

The Makerere University Business Law Clinic was established in 2019 as a pilot Transactional Law Clinic (TLC) Project of the Department of Commercial Law of the School of Law, with the overall objective of enhancing the appropriateness and relevance of legal education and practice in addressing the legal needs of indigent persons, low income earners, and not-for-profit business ventures. The Clinic (BLC) aims at using the student resource to provide commercial or transactional legal services to the Clinic’s clients

Serving as a pro bono clinic, clients pay no legal fees for services, while students receive valuable, hands-on experience in a range of areas relating to commercial law practice.

The BLC is built on the core goals of Makerere University Strategic Plan 2020 – 2030. BLC seeks to combine commitment to: innovative approach to the study of commercial law, multi-disciplinary approach to responding to national, regional and global development challenges and enhanced partnerships with industry, community and legal practice.

Founded by and under the supervision of Dr. Phiona Muhwezi Mpanga and Ms. Edline Eva Murungi with initial funding from the Research and Innovations Fund – Makerere University, the BLC is the first transactional university-based law clinic in Uganda. The pilot project (September 2019- September 2020) had twelve (12) 3^rd and 4^th year students of law as the pioneer subjects of the Clinic.

Vision

To improve the teaching of commercial law subjects through the use of clinical methods of instruction, while fostering an interest in supporting communities amongst our students. Ultimately our students should be able to contribute to commercial legal practice which meets the needs of the underserved clients in business in Uganda.

Mission

The Transactional Law Clinic pilot project is designed to enhance learning in commercial law subjects. It uses clinical methods to impart legal education. Our mission is to improve the learners’ capacity to study commercial law subjects while also enabling our communities to access legal support related to business issues in order to realise economic development and prosperity by 2040.

It is hoped that the learners will be equipped with skills and a consciousness necessary for the provision of relevant legal services to individuals and entities that cannot afford the much needed professional legal services to facilitate the formalisation of their small and community based business enterprises. .

Values

- Excellence

- Integrity

- Due care

- Professionalism

- Equity