Gathering of Partners – Green Legal Clinics Consortium

ClientEarth was in the Philippines for a gathering of Green Legal Clinics (GLCs) at the end of August.

This three-day hybrid event brought together 15 legal clinics under the helm of Philippine Earth Justice Center, with eight law deans, three judges, legal aid clinic directors, and law students participating.

The gathering provided meaningful opportunities for participants from across the Philippines to connect face to face, share best practices and lessons learned and plan work for the coming year.

Representatives from the legal aid clinics gained valuable insights on topics such as the role of GLCs in addressing the climate crisis, collaborating with government and other key stakeholders to strengthen environmental policies, and different ways law clinics can address the triple planetary crises of climate, biodiversity, and pollutions. They also heard from scientists about the role of science in policy- and rulemaking, particularly on the increasingly urgent issue of plastic pollution.

Hiba Mohamad and Joyce Melcar Tan, who lead our Energy Systems Asia team’s capacity development work, presented on strategic and forward planning for the GLC and environmental law practice from the global perspective. They joined distinguished speakers including Commissioner Albert de la Cruz, Philippine Climate Change Commission, and two internationally renowned environmental lawyers, Grizelda Mayo Anda and Gloria Estenzo Ramos.

The GLCs are an important part of our work in the region, where very few clinics specialise in environmental law. Through this collaboration, we aim to train the next generation of environmental lawyers empowered to address the climate and nature crises.

Since 2021, ClientEarth have been supporting the development of specialist expertise in environmental law through law school legal aid clinics in the Philippines.