The Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) has strengthened its commitment to practical legal education through a new partnership with the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in North Carolina, USA. Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the collaboration focuses on advancing trial advocacy training while expanding opportunities for research collaboration, academic exchange, and professional development between the two institutions.

The initiative emerged from academic engagement between Dr Lindani Mhlanga from the Free State Centre for Human Rights and Prof Leonard J Rich, Dean of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and former United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Designed to strengthen practical legal skills training and work-integrated learning opportunities, the partnership aims to enhance the quality and relevance of the UFS’ LLB programme while contributing to the development of legal professionals equipped to serve society with integrity and competence.

Strengthening experiential learning in legal education

For the Faculty of Law, the collaboration reflects the university’s broader vision of placing students at the centre of its academic mission while contributing to the creation of responsible societal futures. 

Prof Serges Kamga, Dean of the Faculty of Law, emphasised that partnerships of this nature play an important role in strengthening the faculty’s teaching and training approach. “The vision of the UFS is to be student-centred and to contribute to the creation of responsible societal futures,” he said. “Partnerships such as this reflect that vision and are critical in strengthening our work-integrated learning programmes that bridge theory and practice.”

He added that the trial advocacy training project aligns closely with the faculty’s own strategic ambitions. “This project echoes our mission to be a faculty of excellence and impact in legal studies.”

Prof Rich was accompanied by Prof Erin Kenny, Assistant Professor at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, and Kimberly Dixon, Federal Prosecutor in the United States.

From an institutional perspective, the collaboration also reflects the university’s continued investment in partnerships that advance academic excellence and strengthen global engagement.

Prof Bulelwa Nguza-Mduba, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for People and Operations, said the collaboration represents a shared commitment to strengthening legal education and professional values.

“This collaboration signals the start of a strategic and purposeful partnership that reflects our shared commitment to excellence in legal education, professional ethics, and social justice,” she said. “It affirms a collective vision that is intentional, impact-driven, and aligned with the evolving global demands of legal education.”

She added that the partnership creates opportunities that extend beyond advocacy training alone.

“Together, these initiatives will contribute to strengthening the quality and relevance of our LLB offerings, expanding opportunities for work-integrated learning and deepening our international engagement with trusted global partners.”

For Campbell University, the partnership also reflects the growing importance of international engagement in preparing future legal practitioners for an interconnected legal landscape.

Prof Rich explained that exposing students to different legal contexts allows them to better understand how legal systems operate beyond their own jurisdictions.

“In today’s interconnected world, it is important for our students to understand how to move, work, and practise across different legal environments,” he said. “Partnerships such as this provide an important platform for that exchange, while also allowing students from the University of the Free State to engage with international perspectives on legal practice.”

He added that the initiative is intended to grow into a sustained academic relationship between the two institutions. “We do not see this as a once-off initiative, but rather as the beginning of a long and meaningful collaboration.”

At the centre of the initiative is the strengthening of trial advocacy training within the faculty, particularly through programmes that emphasise experiential learning and practical courtroom skills. The Faculty of Law’s Law Clinic plays an important role in this ecosystem by providing students with opportunities to engage with real legal matters while developing professional competence.

Christopher Rawson, Director of the Law Clinic, said advocacy is a skill that is developed through preparation and exposure to real legal environments. “Advocacy is not learned only in textbooks,” he said. “It is developed through disciplined preparation, dedicated training, and exposure to the realities and dynamics of the courtroom.” 

He noted that the partnership will strengthen the faculty’s existing experiential learning initiatives, including programmes offered through the Law Clinic and programmes such as In the Shadow of the Prosecutor. “Our aim is to develop practitioners who can think critically, argue clearly and effectively with precision, and who understand that advocacy carries a responsibility to the courts and to the lives of the clients we serve,” he said.