2025 DLA Piper Practical Legal Skills Course
Since 2023, DLA Piper, in collaboration with BABSEACLE, has been providing Chiang Mai University law students with valuable hands-on experience and meaningful professional exposure to lawyers’ overarching role in improving access to justice, including client interviewing, working with vulnerable clients, ethical issues, and drafting legal documents—foundational real-life skills in legal practice. This initiative has helped build students’ capacity as the future generation of lawyers and prepare them for career readiness.
The four-day-long course, DLA Piper Practical Legal Skills, which brought together a total of thirty students in their second, third, and fourth years of an undergraduate law degree, was held December 15–18, 2025, at Chiang Mai University. The training was delivered by a team of DLA Piper lawyers from Hong Kong and Thailand offices as part of a pro bono volunteering program.
Through interactive pedagogical lessons facilitated by pro bono associate Aaron Chan, associate Chutikarn Boonnark, and legal assistant Thitapa Kanchanasevee, as well as a series of hypothetical examples/situations, role-play exercises, and group discussion activities, students explored the concepts and values of the rule of law, pro bono and access to justice; structure and techniques of client interview; ethical issues arising from client interview; and best practices in drafting file notes and letters of advice.
We would like to thank DLA Piper for its leadership in initiating this thoughtfully designed course for students in the Asia-Pacific region, its continued support in making this year’s course possible and as extraordinary as always, and its long-standing commitment to promoting justice and creating a positive impact in the communities through the incredible work they do.
We would also like to share a huge thank you to all the workshop facilitators for sharing their knowledge and useful lawyering tips, to Chiang Mai University Faculty of Law for working alongside us from start to finish and helping with the student selection process, and to all the students for their eagerness and active engagement throughout the program.