Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia Clinical Legal Education Initiative  (BABSEA CLE) is an access to justice, legal education organization, that focuses on legal capacity development and community empowerment.

Since 2003, BABSEA CLE has continued to :

1. Identify appropriate universities and personnel who are interested in implementing social justice oriented clinical legal education programs;
2. Share experiences and technical expertise with existing CLE programs to enable BABSEA CLE to strengthen these programs within the region;
3. Conduct workshops with existing CLE programs about progressive teaching methodologies and the benefit of social justice focused CLE programs;
4. Work to instill a pro-bono, community service ethic in students, graduates and the legal profession; and
5. Identify interested donor organizations and CLE experts who are able to provide technical and financial support.

BABSEA CLE Developing Social Justice Champions Since 2003

BABSEA CLE works in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, China, Indonesia and the Philippines. It also partners with other legal clinic programs, governmental and non-governmental and community based organizations throughout the world.

Our support of university based clinical legal education programs helps strengthen local legal education. This is seen as a clear necessity as the current legal education systems of many countries often fail to include practical skills and legal ethics trainings. Simultaneously our support helps to develop social justice, pro-bono, minded graduates with improved legal skills and ability. In turn these future lawyers help empower local communities by improving access to justice and by providing direct legal support while in school and after they graduate. All this is done through the use of popular interactive teaching methods and with the support and approval of government and legal profession institutions.

BABSEA CLE is founded on the strong belief that no society can protect the rights of its people without providing equal access to the law for all. Many marginalized groups and individuals yearn for access to justice, yet they often find themselves without the power or ability to find it.

At the same time there are many professionals and institutions devoted to protecting the rights and interests of the powerful and wealthy. The result is a growing rift that divides those with means and those without.

Indicators of this inequity exist all around. Direct experience throughout Southeast Asia confirms lack of access to justice for many people including victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, pre-trial detainees, discrimination against persons living with HIV or persons based on their ethnicity, religion and gender, as well as unlawful treatment of employees. Even fundamental issues such as how to register a birth or marriage or how to register lawfully acquired land can be difficult for many. This lack of understanding and knowledge needs to be addressed to help reduce the effects of inequality and avoid future harms to disadvantaged communities.

Helping develop the skills, knowledge and ethic of law students helps ensure that the next generation of lawyers can meet the demands of legal practice and best serve those in need. Developing these core educational building blocks through clinical legal education programs also helps to build bridges between law schools and their communities. This provides soon to be lawyers the tools to help local communities understand their rights and make those rights a reality.

These developments are achieved through partnerships with firms such as Freehills Foundation, Blake Dawson, IBM as well as the UNDP, UNODC, UNAIDS and other supportive organizations, foundations and businesses. We  welcome partnerships and having many organisations work together that supports these CLE social justice champions.