Universidad Politcnica de Valencia (Spain) The UV and the ICAV consolidate their collaboration
A first agreement will facilitate the provision of legal services to groups in vulnerable situations through the Legal Clinic for Social Justice of the UV, in which Law students will participate. The second agreement will make it possible to expand the academic offer through postgraduate, continuing and professional training.
The University of Valencia and the Bar Association of Valencia have gone a step further in consolidating their historical relationship of mutual collaboration. The rector of the UV, Mª Vicenta Mestre and the dean of the ICAV, Auxiliadora Borja, have signed two agreements: in the field of lifelong learning and for training and legal advice in the Legal Clinic for social justice of the Faculty of Law.
The first of the aforementioned agreements is aimed at permanent professional qualification through postgraduate degrees, postgraduate or professional continuing education and specific training actions. The degrees obtained in this case by the students will be considered as “Joint Degree” of these two institutions.
Regarding the second agreement, it establishes the bases for the ICAV and the UV to work together as a Legal Clinic, within the framework of the Social Responsibility of the Bar of the Association and within the Strategic Plan of the Legal Profession (Legal Profession 2020 Solutions) approved by the CGAE as a proposed measure to achieve the objective of Advocacy of public interest.
In this sense, a collaboration plan is established between the ICAV and the Legal Clinic for Social Justice of the Faculty of Law of the University of Valencia in order to strengthen professional education in values and social responsibility of students of the Faculty of Law-UV and facilitate the provision of legal services to groups in vulnerable situations, not covered by Law 1/1996, of 10 January, on free legal assistance. In this way, students of the Degree in Law and double degrees that include this degree will be able to intervene in social responsibility activities of the legal profession and participate in cases supervised by volunteer lawyers, and supervised by the teaching staff.
The Principal of the University of Valencia, Mª Vicenta Mestre, has highlighted the excellent relations maintained by the University of Valencia and the Bar Association of Valencia, a fact that “is demonstrated by this joint signing of two agreements with very different themes but with the same objective: to serve Valencian society”.
Thus, Mestre has highlighted the solidarity component of the agreement that the University, through the Legal Clinic for Social Justice of the Faculty of Law, signed with the ICAV. Thus, he recalled that “the University is at the service of the intellectual and material development of peoples, progress and equality, among many other values that firmly commit us to society.”
On the other hand, the dean of the ICAV, Auxiliadora Borja, stated that “with these collaboration agreements, the ICAV and the UV further strengthen the ties that have always united us. Training is essential for the Legal Profession and having the University of Valencia as an ally is essential for us. Regarding the collaboration with the Legal Clinic of the Faculty of Law, it is a very important value for us whose purpose is none other than to help duly fulfill the high mission of safeguarding the rights of citizens through the tools available in plowing to justice, foundation of social peace”.
Also present at the signing ceremony, held in the Rector’s Office building of the University, were the deputy of the Governing Board and head of the training area, Daniel Morata; the Vice-Rector for Studies, Isabel Vázquez; the Vice-Rector for Lifelong Learning, Teaching Transformation and Employment, Ángeles Solanes; the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Javier Palao and the Vice-Dean for Studies of the Degree in Criminology and Postgraduate, Javier Guardiola.