LEGAL EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE OF INDONESIA: A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of the extent to which institutions of higher legal education in Indonesia are able to prepare graduates to think critically and respond in a reform-minded way to changes in society. Legal developments have always been unable to catch up with the speed of changes within society, especially due to political constraints in the law-making process. This paper aims to explain how higher legal education institutions may help to bridge the gaps between the existing normative legal frameworks, the law-making process, and developments in the community. To what extent are managers in higher legal education institutions open to formulating and implementing new developments within the curriculum? Is there enough space to enrich legal science with novel approaches and methodologies that analyze the development of law and legal practice more fundamentally? To what extent do interdisciplinary studies of law have a place in the curriculum? The answer to these questions will have an impact on the development of legal science and the future law-making in Indonesia.