New interns ready to join top court

A gavel in a court. [Photo/IC]

Another 50 interns are to join China's top court and spend six months helping judges there, increasing their understanding of the rule of law and building on the success of the first class of interns.

The project to educate judicial talent and provide a bridge between legal studies and practice — much like the role of a law clerk in the United States — was written into a work report for the Supreme People's Court this year.

Xu Jiaxin, a court administrator who heads the project, said the first class of interns ended their service on March 29. The 50, who were chosen from 32 universities nationwide, took part in a wide variety of court activities.

The second group, which was selected last week, will work at the court from May to October. They will work on every aspect of a lawsuit, from drafting documents, to collecting evidence and case materials, to offering their opinions on proposed verdicts.

"They play the role of legal assistants to our judges," Xu said. "The average number of cases an intern is involved in is 20, and the maximum would be 50."

Yuan Gang, an associate law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, praised the project as a key step in innovating legal education. Like the law clerk system in the US, intern positions are popular among law students.

"Law firms or courts in the US often recruit first-year law clerks from universities, and the job information is posted on campuses," he said. "The US applicants sign a short-term contract with employers, similar to the interns in our country."

However, unlike the Chinese interns, the US clerks attend face-to-face interviews with the judges they will assist and are paid for their work.

Yuan Ningning, a legal researcher at Beijing Normal University, said China's efforts to educate law students should be highlighted, as the country "is on the road to operating with a strong rule of law".

"In my view, the best practices, including the handling of disputes, in case hearings arise from grassroots judicial bodies," Yuan said.