The Refugee Law Clinic Hamburg (RLC) is a student-based project in which students are  trained in voluntary consultation for refugees. The RLC is supervised by Prof. Dr. Nora Markard, MA. The goal is a high-quality, free of charge legal consultation for refugees by students. The main focus lies on the quality of the training and the close supervision of the consulting activities.
The first regular cycle of the described model started in the WS 2015/16. At the same time a pilot cycle began the consultations with support of the Unikolleg.

Training

Every clinic-cycle consists of three elements: In an introductory course students work towards a fundamental expertise and gain first practical cometences. An internship in one of the cooperating law firms enables them to acquaint themselves with the basics of their practical work. The internship can be recognized as required in § 5 HmbJAG. In an intensifying event students gain in-depth knowlege and reflect on their practical expierences.

Legal Counselling

Trained in the above desribed fashion, students begin their counselling in the reception centers for refugees. In those, asylum seekers live for the first three month upon their arrival after their application for international protection, with which the asylum-procedure of the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Federal office for Migration and Refugees) begins. Before the individual right to protection is examined by the BAMF, the so called Dublin-Procedure is executed. This procedure determines which EU-Member State is responsible for the execution of the asylum procedure and what possible obstacles stand in the way of transferring the individual to this Member State, according to the so called Dublin III Regulation.

The students counselling service includes the information of protection seekers about the governmental Dublin-Procedure and their rights within this procedure, as well as possible obstacles for transfer to the responsible state. If a transfer decision can not be prevented and legal steps are to be taken, a statment can be composed and provided to a cooperating law firm.

The students provide counselling in languages they are familiar with. If possible, translators can be called in.

 

Training and Quality Assurance

According to § 6 Abs. 2 RDG the free of charge legal advice by students requires the supervision by a person with qualification for the judge’s office (the second state exam). The supervision includes basic and further trainung and the participation in the individual cases, if neccesary.

A practical colloquium by a lawer that specialized in asylum law serves towards basic and further training. Furthermore, there will be regular consultations with an advisory board that consists of cooperating lawyers. They can also be called in to the individual case, if neccesary.

 

What we don’t offer

Important: TheRefugee Law Clinic cannot provide legal advice via E-mail. The consultation will exclusively take place within the consultation hours in the reception centres. The consulation is limited to the govermental Dublin-Procedure. Further legal fields may be added in the future.