Should legal education be in a multidisciplinary or specialized school? What do experts say?

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Vietnam has approximately 100 law training institutions, mostly multidisciplinary universities. Therefore, the model of training law graduates in multidisciplinary or specialized universities is still receiving many opinions and proposals for discussion.

Law students in Ho Chi Minh City during a mock trial (Photo: GDU).

Legal education needs to be linked to practical needs.

At the seminar "Legal Training in Vietnam Today: Challenges and Opportunities" held on December 10th, Dr. Ha Hai, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association, stated that the policy of improving the quality of training in Law and some other fields such as Education and Healthcare is very correct because these are three important areas. In particular, the field of Law will be related to the issue of national sovereignty .

He raised the issue of how to do it, stating that careful consideration would be needed because, in his opinion, the socialization of education , including the socialization of teaching and learning law, is a growing trend, like a tank on the move.

"I believe that law schools, especially multidisciplinary ones, have done their best in recent times. They haven't received any special privileges, yet they've achieved so much, so they deserve encouragement and support," Mr. Ha Hai shared.

Dr. Ha Hai, Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Mr. Hai pointed out a fact that needs to be considered when formulating policies: currently, there are 155 foreign lawyers, with nearly 60 law firms operating in Ho Chi Minh City.

These lawyers did not attend any law school in Vietnam, yet they still practice their profession, even capturing 45% of the legal market share, accounting for nearly 2.4 trillion VND out of 5 trillion VND. Therefore, he argued that policies to protect the legal system and the market need to be developed.

"The policy is correct, but the implementation needs to be reviewed," Mr. Hai emphasized, adding that attention should be paid to the quality of teaching and creating inspiration for students and lecturers.

Based on his experience in receiving internships and legal professionals, Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, Deputy Chief Justice of the People's Court of Region 7, Ho Chi Minh City, said that in the past, the gap between prestigious and less prestigious schools was very wide.

He initially gave it a score of 10-5. However, recently, this shift has been very noticeable, with a more balanced score of 10-8, and he highly appreciates this positive development.

"Over time, I've noticed that the quality has gradually improved," Mr. Hoang observed.

Dr. Huy Hoang also argued that if the regulation strictly prohibits multidisciplinary, non-specialized universities from offering law programs, it would be "not very reasonable" because training programs are becoming more advanced, and universities are also diversifying their teaching methods.

He also frankly stated that since the competition between single-discipline and multi-disciplinary schools emerged, the subjects, facilities, diversity of student support, etc., have improved significantly.

Many delegates from agencies, departments, professional associations, universities, and employers attended the seminar (Photo: Organizing Committee).

As a unit directly involved in training, Associate Professor Dr. Le Vu Nam, Vice Rector of the University of Economics and Law, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, believes that the Party and State's policy on controlling and improving the quality of legal training is correct, as reflected in Resolution 27, Resolution 49, and more recently, Resolution 66.

In this context, improving the quality of legal education is necessary, but the method of implementation is the crucial issue. In the spirit of a proactive state, the state should issue output standards and organize supervision; institutions that fail to meet these standards should face sanctions, rather than focusing solely on whether or not they offer specialized training.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Le Vu Nam, Decision 678 of the Ministry of Education and Training needs to be reviewed because some regulations are still rigid and do not create conditions for innovation.

For example, regulations regarding subject groups and knowledge areas make it difficult for interdisciplinary universities like the University of Economics and Law to integrate economic knowledge into their law programs. Increasing the number of elective courses could be a solution.

Furthermore, any changes need a clear roadmap, because education, especially legal education, affects the entire lives of students. Therefore, a scientific approach is needed, prioritizing the interests of the students.

Mr. Nam believes that the key issue is the teaching staff, as this is a prerequisite for opening a new program, recruiting students, and maintaining it. The government has all the tools to inspect and monitor this matter.

Finally, according to the Vice Rector, improving the quality of legal education does not depend on whether it is a multidisciplinary or single-disciplinary model. Multidisciplinary approaches have advantages because law is a profession inseparable from knowledge of society, economics, technology, and artificial intelligence. Lawyers must apply interdisciplinary knowledge to handle real-world situations...

"We support the Party and State's policy of improving the quality of training, while also sharing the difficulties faced by training institutions. In the spirit of prioritizing students and social development, each law training institution needs to leverage its unique strengths to create innovation and distinctive features, diversifying training products while still ensuring quality," Associate Professor Dr. Le Vu Nam emphasized.

Stronger sanctions are needed in inspection and supervision.

Dr. Dang Thi Thu Huyen, Head of the Faculty of Law, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, assessed that improving the quality of legal education is an inevitable trend and in line with the general policy.

The biggest problem, according to her, lies not only in the regulations but also in the inspection and supervision process. In reality, many units have issued standards, but without effective inspection and enforcement mechanisms, it is difficult to ensure compliance.

"Who will handle the situation when training facilities fail to meet standards? Will there be enough resources for regular inspections? This is something we need to seriously consider," Ms. Huyen questioned.

In a context where challenges always come with opportunities, schools must improve quality, strengthen their staff and facilities, and prepare for new requirements.

Dr. Thu Huyen hopes that after this review, the quality of legal training will be improved, and the quality assurance conditions will be fully checked, so that training institutions with the capacity and qualified staff can confidently continue to carry out their tasks.

Experts share their insights on the sidelines of the seminar (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Associate Professor Bui Anh Thuy, Head of the Faculty of Law, Van Lang University, also cited examples from many countries where multidisciplinary universities still offer law programs.

Along with the shortage of legal professionals compared to the population size (104 million people) and the pace of economic development (over 900,000 businesses and approximately over 5 million business households), according to Mr. Thuy, training law in multidisciplinary universities offers a significant advantage as law students have the opportunity to study alongside those in economics, management, information technology, communication, healthcare, etc.

Dr. Nguyen Quang Huy from Saigon Technology University also cited the example of the Russian education system, where law is taught in both specialized and multidisciplinary universities.

Therefore, Mr. Huy argued that instead of restricting training models, we should focus on improving the quality of training through measures such as: raising entrance and exit standards; enhancing the quality of the teaching staff; and improving facilities and equipment for teaching. Thus, improving the quality of training is a more sustainable approach than restricting training institutions.

Concluding the seminar, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper, stated that the scale of legal training is growing larger, and the societal demand is increasing, thus requiring efforts for innovation from universities and training institutions.

The opinions expressed at the seminar indicate the need for increasingly close collaboration between schools, judicial bodies, lawyers, and businesses in legal education.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/dao-tao-luat-o-truong-da-nganh-hay-chuyen-nganh-chuyen-gia-noi-gi-20251210173455431.htm