The article presents a comprehensive theoretical and legal study of mediation and legal clinics as interconnected elements of the mechanism for ensuring access to justice and alternative dispute resolution. It is substantiated that, under modern conditions, access to justice should be understood not only as the opportunity to apply to a court, but also as the availability of real, accessible, and effective extrajudicial means of protecting an individual’s rights and legitimate interests. In this context, mediation is regarded as an instrument for the humanization of legal influence, the reduction of conflict intensity, and the formation of a culture of peaceful, dialogical, and restorative dispute resolution. The regulatory framework of mediation in Ukraine, in particular the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Mediation,” as well as scholarly approaches to defining its legal nature, principles, and functional purpose, are analyzed. It is established that mediation, based on voluntariness, confidentiality, neutrality, and an orientation toward a mutually acceptable solution for the parties, is an important component of the modern mechanism for protecting individual rights, as it enables a more flexible, efficient, and less confrontational settlement of disputes. 
Special attention is paid to legal clinics as institutions that combine educational, social, and practical functions. It is proven that legal clinics are not only a basis for the practical training of higher education students, but also an important means of bringing legal assistance closer to the population, developing legal awareness activities, and raising the level of legal culture in society. It is emphasized that clinical legal education goes beyond the traditional educational process and acquires the significance of a tool for forming practical skills necessary for the modern legal profession. 
It is argued that the functional relationship between mediation and legal clinics is manifested in several areas: through legal awareness activities, initial informing of clients about the possibilities of mediation, assessment of the mediability of a conflict, and the development in students of communication, negotiation, analysis of the parties’ interests, and the search for mutually acceptable solutions. At the same time, it is emphasized that a legal clinic does not necessarily have to act as a direct provider of mediation, but it may serve as an effective institutional platform for the promotion of mediation, consultation on its application, and referral of individuals to professional mediators. 
The article also draws attention to the prospects for the use of mediation in the public-law sphere, in particular in administrative and criminal proceedings. It is emphasized that Ukrainian legislation generally does not exclude such a possibility, but still requires further specification of procedural aspects. In this regard, the experience of Poland is of particular interest, as it demonstrates that, with proper legal regulation and organizational support, mediation can function effectively in the public-law domain as well.
It is concluded that combining the potential of mediation and legal clinics contributes to expanding access to justice, increasing the effectiveness of legal education, developing a culture of peaceful dispute resolution, and forming a human-centered model of legal protection. The expediency of further improving the regulatory, organizational, and methodological support for the integration of mediation practices into the activities of legal clinics in Ukraine is substantiated.