Legal clinics offer free or reduced-rate legal advice and services. Legal clinics can be programs established by law schools, where law students gain real-world and practical experience working for clients who do not have to pay attorney fees.
Legal clinics can also be places where practicing attorneys offer advice for free or reduced fees.
Whether a legal clinic is organized by a law school or an association of lawyers, it functions to offer accessible legal help to those who cannot afford it.
A law school legal clinic is often staffed by law students supervised by a licensed attorney or a licensed attorney professor. Law students gain experience while clients gain free services.
Other legal clinics can be paid for by legal aid groups to grant access to justice to those who otherwise could not afford it. Practicing attorneys who staff these clinics are often donating their services as goodwill.