Abstract

This focus is specifically dedicated to analysing the increasing role of the third mission and the dimension of public engagement which legal clinics have taken on in Italian universities in recent years. It presents some of the contributions discussed at the annual convention of the Italian Network for Clinical Legal Education in Naples at the Faculty of Law of the Federico II University in 2022. The various contributions provide an overview of the current diffusion of the clinical legal approach in Italy and present legal clinics as a tool to fill legal and institutional gaps by taking action to support vulnerable people in social and legal performances. In fact, most legal clinics provide not only legal guidance and support to vulnerable people, but also a more comprehensive social care by recognising their needs and strengthening their neglected role in society