Does Community Legal Education Work? Educating English Language Students about Consumer Contracts

Abstract

Governments, law reform commissions, and legal services have long advocated for the value of increasing public understanding of the law. While many private law firms and public agencies in the justice sector provide legal information and education to their clients and the community, legal aid commissions are statutorily required to do so. Commissions provide Community Legal Education (CLE), legal information, advice, and representation to people who cannot afford private lawyers. CLE can help people address or avoid legal problems. It has the potential to reduce the need for more intensive and costly legal services and minimize the stress associated with legal problems. Yet CLE remains a small part of the justice sector and questions have been raised about its impact and relative value. Insufficient evidence regarding the effectiveness of CLE places uncertainty on its long-term role in the justice sector and may hamper its development. In response to the need to build an evidence base, this article presents the findings of a study that investigated the impact of a CLE program for improving English language students' knowledge and attitudes of the legal issues associated with buying a car. The findings demonstrate how CLE can change participants' attitudes and knowledge of the law.