On 2 and 3 May arbitration bodies from Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, the University of Luxembourg, the Pforzheim University, and student “law clinics” from Luxembourg and Kiel came together at the University of Luxembourg to discuss how to make access to law easier for consumers.
The participants discussed two main tools, law clinics and neutral arbitration boards. While student “law clinics” only provide information about the legal situation and prospects of success but do not mediate between the parties, the function of the neutral arbitration boards is to explain the legal situations to both parties and, ultimately, find a solution.
Prof. Elise Poillot from the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, and coordinator of the University of Luxembourg’s Consumer Law Clinic, emphasised the benefits of clinical legal education for students: “It’s learning by doing: our students understand how the theoretical knowledge they learn can be put into practical skills in real life. They learn how important the context of a case is and why it is necessary to be empathetic as a lawyer”.
“Students learn to approach legal issues in business life from an interdisciplinary perspective and to find foresighted solutions. Avoiding legal disputes through solution-oriented contract design is one of the key elements,” added Prof. Steffen Kroschwald from the Profzheim University.
On the second day, the group of consumer ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) entities form Austria, Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg had their yearly network meeting, where the focus was the status quo and potential of the European arbitration boards. Among other things, the future topic of “legal tech”, meaning digital tools to support dispute resolution was discussed and opinions and experiences were shared.
Further information can be found on Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes website.
