List of Responding Schools
Clinical Legal Studies Program - Albany Law School's Clinical Legal Studies Program includes six specialty law projects: Domestic Violence, Litigation, Health Law, Civil Rights & Disabilities, Low Income Taxpayer and Securities Arbitration that combine classroom education with hands-on legal experience while providing a free public service to the abused, discriminated against and disadvantaged in the community. Legal presentation by law students under supervision by faculty attorneys is provided to the victims of domestic violence, disabled children denied access to appropriate health care or education, HIV/AIDS infected parents planning for their children's future, the unemployed and low income taxpayers. Albany Law School's Clinical Program consists of in-house projects, field placement programs, and one-hour practicum courses. A combined maximum of 12 credit hours may be selected from Clinical courses
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The AUWCL Clinical Program has long been recognized as a leader in the field of clinical education. Through its 11 in-house clinics, the Clinical Program provides a transformative experience for students making the transition from law school to law practice. Our students represent low-income and under-represented clients or groups in litigation, administrative, transactional, and policy matters. Though they receive faculty guidance and extensive feedback, student attorneys are responsible for managing litigation, carrying out transactional work, and engaging in issue-based advocacy. By learning the criteria for good lawyering and practicing regular self-evaluation, student attorneys develop reflective habits that encourage continuous professional growth.
Civil Advocacy Clinic
Student Attorneys in the Civil Advocacy Clinic (CAC) help low-income clients achieve access to justice through advocacy in a variety of legal contexts. With a particular focus on economic justice, students help their clients solve legal problems and provide representation in civil matters in the courts and administrative agencies of the District of Columbia and Maryland.
Community Economic and Equity Development Clinic
(formerly Community and Economic Development Law Clinic)
Community Economic and Equity Development (CEED) student attorneys assist small businesses, workers' cooperatives, housing cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations in the District of Columbia and Maryland. We apply extensive knowledge in corporate, commercial, and transactional law to assist clients that may otherwise lack the resources to acquire legal assistance. Our goal is to assist our clients in promoting equitable economic development.
Criminal Justice Clinic
The Criminal Justice Clinic (CJC) is designed to teach student attorneys about the theory and practice of advocacy in the criminal and juvenile justice systems with the knowledge that these skills apply to lawyering in many other settings. The clinic practices in Maryland and offers opportunities for second and third year students to participate in either defense or prosecution.
Disability Rights Law Clinic
The DRLC is a two-semester clinic in which law students represent clients and their families in a variety of matters related to disability law and people with disabilities (both mental and physical). A significant focus of the DRLC is on examining circumstances in which clients with disabilities are wrongly assumed to lack physical or mental capacity to participate in society to the same extent as people without disabilities. The Disability Rights Law Clinic (DRLC) began operation in Fall 2005. Professor Robert Dinerstein founded the clinic and directs it.
Entrepreneurship Law Clinic
The Entrepreneurship Law Clinic will provide students with an immersive experience in general transactional practice, with an emphasis on serving social enterprises, early stage entrepreneurs, and small businesses in greater Washington, D.C. Enrolled students will advise and counsel clients on corporate structuring, taxation, financing, as well as growth and succession planning. Additionally, students will negotiate and draft contracts and organizational documents like Founders' Agreements, Shareholder Subscription Agreements, Operating Agreements, and Non-Disclosure Agreements.
Gender Justice Clinic
Student attorneys in the Gender Justice Clinic (formerly Women and the Law Clinic) represent clients in a wide range of cases including family law, immigration, public benefits, domestic violence, employment, housing, education, wills/advance directives/probate, and student debt, with a focus on how clients’ gender, race, nationality, disability, and economic status affect their experiences in the legal system and within the lawyer-client relationship.
Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic
The clinic concentrates on live client representation that helps student attorneys better understand the concept of the public interest in copyright, patent, trademark, and allied fields. Student attorneys in the clinic will participate in both individual client matters and policy matters advocating change in the law. Individual matters will involve advising creative artists, non-profit organizations, small inventors and entrepreneurs, scholars, traditional communities, and others who otherwise would not have access to high-quality intellectual property law services, as well as representing them before various agencies (Copyright Office, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, World Intellectual Property Organization, etc.). Policy projects will be designed to promote intellectual property law reform, and may include filing amicus briefs in high-profile legal cases and administrative proceedings, preparing reports on current issues, and conducting legislative advocacy.
Immigrant Justice Clinic
The Immigrant Justice Clinic (IJC) provides representation on a broad range of cases and projects involving individual immigrants and migrants, and their communities, both in the D.C. metropolitan area and overseas. Student attorneys in the IJC regularly appear in Immigration Court, and may also appear before federal district court, the courts of Maryland and D.C., and before federal and state agencies. Since migration has a transnational dimension, the IJC occasionally advocates before regional and international bodies. The matters handled by the IJC allow students to develop core lawyering skills, such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and trial advocacy, while cultivating complementary skills in the areas of policy and legislative advocacy, community organizing, and working with the media.
International Human Rights Law Clinic
The International Human Rights Law Clinic (IHRLC) offers student attorneys the opportunity to represent non-U.S. citizens and organizations working to defend the human rights of non-U.S. citizens in a broad range of settings, including regional and international bodies, U.S. federal and state courts, and immigration court.
Through the combination of individual client and project-based work, with an additional classroom component of weekly clinic seminar, IHRLC students learn the responsibilities and skills of human rights lawyering while also integrating theory with practice. In doing so, IHRLC trains the next generation of human rights advocates while offering students the opportunity to make an impact on current, critical human rights issues facing marginalized communities domestically and abroad.
Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax Clinic
In the Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax Clinic, student attorneys represent low income individuals who are being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Students are often surprised to learn that low income individuals have tax problems, or that their tax returns are audited to any significant extent. In reality, thousands of low income returns are audited each year. Our clients, who frequently face barriers such as lack of language proficiency, accounting skills, education, cultural familiarity, and sophistication, often come to us terrified about what they may be about to face.
Re-Entry Clinic
The Re-Entry Clinic serves people who are struggling as a result of their contact with the criminal system. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that in 2016 nearly 2.2 million adults were held in our prisons and jails. In addition to this stark number, over 4.5 million were under community supervision, better known as probation or parole. Contributing to the community supervision figure are the approximately 636,000 people released from prison every year.
Rising for Justice
Rising for Justice (RFJ), formerly known as D.C. Law Students in Court, is an independent nonprofit legal services program in which students from AUWCL and other area law schools participate as student attorneys. RFJ students and staff make over one thousand appearances in court each year. AUWCL students participating in RFJ represent clients in D.C. Superior Court, primarily in the Landlord and Tenant and Small Claims Branches. Other cases may be in the Civil Division and before D.C. administrative agencies. The program works to fight the consequences of poverty, to prevent homelessness and to alleviate inequalities in the justice system while teaching law students to become effective advocates.
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Civil Litigation Clinic
This civil clinical course allows students the opportunity to work as practicing lawyers representing actual clients at the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau (LAB), a legal services office founded by Boston College law students in 1968. Pursuant to the Massachusetts student practice rule (SJC 3:03), students are certified to represent clients in every aspect of litigation, including appearing in court and at federal and state administrative hearings (e.g., Social Security Administration, Division of Unemployment Assistance, and Department of Transitional Assistance). Students advise and represent clients with a variety of legal problems, including divorce and custody proceedings, landlord-tenant disputes, Social Security disability appeals, and consumer complaints. Students are responsible for their own cases and have the opportunity to plan and conduct every phase of civil litigation, from initial client interviews, through formulating a legal strategy, to counseling clients, conducting pretrial discovery and motion hearings, engaging in settlement negotiations, drafting pleadings, up to and including trials and administrative hearings, as well as drafting and arguing appeals.
Students are closely supervised by clinical faculty. Supervisors sit in on most meetings with clients, assist in the preparation for client meetings, negotiations, and court appearances, and they accompany their students to court. Supervisors provide thorough feedback to students about their work at all stages in order to help students build on their skills and learn from their experiences, including written feedback at both mid-semester and end of term. In addition to individual supervision, students participate in a weekly seminar where issues related to students' actual cases are examined. The practical, legal and ethical issues of lawyering are explored in detail through discussion, simulations, and review of videotaped portions of students' meetings with their clients.
The Legal Assistance Bureau is located only 15 minutes from the law school, in Waltham. Its faculty consists of four supervising attorneys and a clinical social worker. Additional staff includes an intake worker, and a fiscal manager. Students are provided with comfortable individual workspace and voicemail, conference rooms, a computer center, access to Lexis, Westlaw, a database of approved pleadings, and a well-developed office library.
Community Enterprise Clinic
This course introduces students to transactional legal work on behalf of low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. The course includes fieldwork and a weekly seminar. The fieldwork is based at the Law School's clinical office known as the Legal Assistance Bureau in Waltham, four miles form the Law School. The seminar is held at the Law School.
Students are assigned to work in pairs with entrepreneurs who have business-related legal needs and/or a desire to create a formal business structure or entity; with emerging, community-based small businesses facing corporate, employment or similar legal issues; and with non-profit organizations or groups seeking to establish a tax-exempt organization. For fieldwork purposes, students are assigned seven office hours per week at the clinic. Students can expect to spend an additional ten to twelve hours per week, on average, on their client representation work. The fieldwork is complemented by a weekly seminar. The seminar will address substantive law surrounding small businesses and entrepreneurship, and ethical issues encountered in corporate and non-profit practice.
Criminal Justice Clinic
The Criminal Justice Clinic is a unique and exciting program, which examines the criminal justice system from the perspective of both defense attorneys and prosecutors. The Clinic is made up of two programs: BC Law Prosecution Program and BC Defenders. BC Defenders represent indigent clients in District Court, while student prosecutors prosecute cases under the auspices of a District Attorney's Office. Each side meets separately once a week to focus more intently on the skills particular to each profession and to discuss issues which students confront during the term. Both sides also meet in class together once a week to explore systemic issues and practical problems and to compare their experiences, analyses, and conclusions with insights gathered by students practicing on the opposite side.
Students enrolled in the course will experience, participate in, and evaluate the local criminal justice system. Through practice in a district court, combined with one-on-one supervision, class exercises, readings and discussion, students have the opportunity to closely and critically examine the functioning of the criminal justice system and measure it against conceptions of fairness. Students will reflect on their actions in the criminal justice system (with special attention paid to the attorney-client relationship and the prosecution function), and will consider the ethical and moral issues which inevitably arise in criminal casework. Students examine these and other criminal justice issues while learning the habits of mind and behavior necessary to function effectively in that system.
BC Defenders
The BC Defenders pick up cases at arraignment, where they interview their clients for the first time and present bail arguments before a judge. Students then begin to prepare their cases, researching the legal issues, investigating the facts, and helping the client with services whenever possible. A pre-trial hearing is held usually within the first semester to finalize discovery and determine if the case can be resolved. If the case is not resolved then, the case is scheduled for jury trial during the second semester. To prepare for jury trials, students role-play their cases in the form of mock trials with group participation. Students handle misdemeanors and those felonies for which district court jurisdiction exists, such as charges of assault, larcenies, and drug offenses. Students are responsible for their own cases and are closely supervised, both in court and out of court, by the defense supervisor. Second semester is a jury trial seminar where students complete their cases. Each case scheduled for jury trial will be performed in class as a mock trial at least once, and all students will participate as witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and critiquers.
BC Law Prosecution Program
One of the central challenges that students will face in this clinic will be to understand and articulate the primary task of a prosecutor and how our notions (both conscious and unconscious) of authority, role, boundary, and task affect the way lawyers take up their role. Students will join a group of assistant district attorneys in a local District Attorney's Office and engage in the demanding role of prosecutor in a highly challenging local criminal justice system. Each student will become an active participant in the criminal justice system, receiving several cases during the semester, handling various charges, and appearing numerous times in an adult court session. Students are responsible for their own cases and are closely supervised, both in court and out of court.
Housing Law Clinic
This course introduces students to the pervasive problem of the threat of housing loss and homelessness in our cities. It is a clinical course in which students will litigate cases on behalf of low-income clients who are at risk of becoming homeless if they lose their current housing. Most are facing eviction or the loss of government housing subsidies that they need in order to remain housed. The course includes fieldwork and a weekly seminar. The fieldwork is based at the Law School's civil clinical office known as the Legal Assistance Bureau in Waltham, 15 minutes from the Law School. The seminar will be held at the Law School.
Students who enroll in this course will be certified to practice law in Massachusetts under close clinical supervision. They will advise and represent families or individuals who are facing or experiencing having no place to live. Students can expect to defend eviction actions in local District Courts and Boston Housing Court; to represent individuals before local Housing Authorities in an effort to obtain affordable housing for them; to work with community organizations seeking to increase the supply of affordable housing; and, on occasion, to assist in affirmative litigation to correct illegal conditions in low-incoming housing. Students will be trained in essential lawyering skills with an emphasis on trial advocacy techniques.
The fieldwork is complemented by a weekly seminar. The seminar will cover trial advocacy skills, exploration of the social and political underpinnings of homelessness, and ethical issues encountered in public interest practice.
Immigration Law Clinic
Students who take Immigration Law, or who took the course in the previous year, will have the opportunity to do clinical work for two extra pass/fail credits in the Fall semester through the Immigration Law Clinic. Clinical opportunities will include working with pro-bono attorneys on political asylum cases in conjunction with the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR); interviewing, counseling, and representing clients in Detention Facilities and Immigration Court, and working on various types of national and regional "impact" litigation, especially regarding detention policies. Students will be able to choose the type of work which most interests them and will be specially trained and supervised.
Advanced Immigration Law Clinic
The class is scheduled to meet two hours per week as a seminar. During the first hour of class students will examine and discuss a variety of advanced topics in U.S. Immigration and Deportation law. The focus will primarily be on refugee law, asylum and deportation, although these topics necessarily involve other procedural issues, criminal law, constitutional law, and statutory construction. The faculty will be the primary presenters in the first hour. However, as the class progresses, students will also be asked to present in class on selected topics that will general class discussion. In the clinic, each student will be working with clients on immigration matters. Students may choose from a variety of projects. Some will go to detention centers to give "Know Your Rights Presentations" and interview and counsel clients. Others will conduct intake of possible new clients. Others may represent clients on asylum cases. Some may work on litigation and amicus briefs.
Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project Clinic
The Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project will provide a full year clinic to students either currently enrolled in Juvenile Justice Seminar or who have completed Juvenile Justice Seminar. Students will apply their education in juvenile justice and child advocacy to problem areas of juvenile representation and policy. Students will primarily represent girls in the Massachusetts justice system across the full-range of their legal needs. Issues include delinquency, post-disposition administrative advocacy, special education, personal injury, status offenses, child abuse and neglect, and public benefits. In addition, students work as guardians-ad-litem for girls in the status offender system with a focus on education law. Drawing on the individual case experience, students work on policy development for girls in the system. Students are involved in data collection, research and report writing and dissemination, helping to develop models that work for system involved girls. Students also provide legal education to high school students at Brighton High School. The JRAP operates in an interdisciplinary manner in collaboration with Boston College counseling psychology graduate students. Student will meet every week to discuss advanced topics in juvenile law as they relate to the work of the Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project.
Women and the Law Clinic
"Women and the Law Clinic" is a clinical and theoretical course. The course is part of the Legal Assistance Bureau (LAB), located in Waltham. Students will attend two weekly class meetings. Students will also be assigned two to three domestic cases involving divorce, custody, child support, spousal support, visitation, restraining orders, etc. The class meetings will allow the class to explore the theoretical materials and appellate cases in the context of actual client service. It will also expose students to the invisible ways in which the law structures women's experiences. Students will be required each week to have seven scheduled office hours at the LAB, in addition to scheduled class time. At the end of the semester, the students will be required to submit a 10-12-page paper analyzing a topic from the course in terms of their clinical experience.
For more information about BC Law's clinical programs, please visit: www.bc.edu/schools/law/services/academic/programs/clinical.
Civil Litigation Clinic:
The Boston University Civil Litigation Program is one of the oldest clinical law programs in the country. Today, four clinical law faculty oversee a program of more than 30 students who practice law out of their own suite of offices in the headquarters of Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) in downtown Boston.
Students in the Civil Litigation Clinic choose from two options:
Housing, Employment, Family and Disability Clinic (HEFD) (full-year program) - The average HEFD clinic caseload over two semesters typically includes 4-5 cases in areas such as domestic relations, eviction defense, employment law and Social Security appeals. Other kinds of cases may also be assigned.
Employment Rights Clinic (ERC) (one semester program, fall or spring) -
Students represent clients in unemployment compensation cases, and there is a possibility of working on wage and hour disputes, discrimination/sexual harassment cases, and Family Medical Leave Act cases.
Criminal Law Clinic:
Students enrolled in the Criminal Law Clinic carry full responsibility for the prosecution or defense of criminal cases in Municipal and Juvenile Boston or Quincy District Courts while receiving close faculty supervision. Students participating in the Criminal Law Clinic can expect to conduct investigations to formulate trial strategy, file appropriate pre-trial motions, participate in plea bargaining, try cases before judges and make sentencing arguments. Students are expected to follow their cases from beginning to end; in recent years some clinic students have taken their cases to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Environmental Law Practicum:
Students complete an environmental-law related legal project for a Boston-based environmental law organization. Projects vary in scope and content based on student interest and the needs of the partnering organization. In Spring 2017, students worked on environmental law projects on behalf of the Conservation Law Foundation and Alternatives for Community and Environment. Project topics may include clean energy, water regulation, and environmental justice, which concerns the intersection of civil rights, fundamental fairness, and environmental policy.
Legislative Policy & Drafting Clinic:
Students learn about the law-making process through coursework and hand-on experience working with a client seeking to advance a bill or project through the state legislature. Students work on several projects during the semester that highlight different aspects of the legislative process, allowing students to relate and test the theories discussed in class to real life situations. The in-class seminar covers subjects that affect the legislative process including: constitutional interpretation by legislatures, theories of representation, legislative organization and rules, lobbying, legislative oversight powers, and legislature-executive agency relationships.
International Human Rights Clinic:
Students in the Clinic work on human rights projects such as: working with NGO's in advocacy in the UN human rights system or in regional organs (e.g. Inter-American and European human rights bodies); filing briefs on human rights law issues in US domestic courts; counseling individual clients with human rights claims and without recourse within a domestic jurisdiction. While the nature of the fieldwork varies from year to year, the clinic has previously partnered with domestic and international NGOs on the Guantanamo cases, habeas cases, and Alien Tort Claims Act cases; drafted submissions to UN treaty bodies; and worked on the health and human rights aspects of humanitarian crises. Students conduct legal and factual research, conduct outreach to partners and project strategy development, and may prepare amicus briefs on human rights issues and appeals in human rights cases. The clinic fieldwork may include international travel.
Immigrants’ Rights & Human Trafficking Program:
The Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program, launched in July 2017, combines BU Law’s nationally recognized Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and the Human Trafficking Clinic and creates an integrated new clinical program. In the Program, students learn practical legal skills while providing pro bono representation to vulnerable non-citizens facing deportation and survivors of human trafficking. Law students participate in a seminar led by experienced faculty and focus on clinical fieldwork in the areas of immigrants’ rights, human trafficking, or both. In addition to pro bono legal representation, students and Program faculty will work to increase protections available to vulnerable populations and contribute to the national policy landscape by providing new models that address emerging challenges in the immigrants’ rights and human trafficking contexts.
Wrongful Convictions Clinic:
Participants will engage in screening applications from prisoners claiming innocence who have requested help from the New England Innocence Project. This may involve reading prisoner questionnaires, pleadings and court opinions in the case, legal research and analysis of the requirements for obtaining a new trial, review of attorney files, and search for forensic evidence in the case.
Community-based Legal Research Seminar: Students work with a community service organization in developing a product related to access to legal services such as brochures, program development or grant proposals, presentations, white papers, etc. Professor James Backman, [email protected], (801) 422-2221.
LawHelp Child Advocacy Program: Students shadow attorneys from the Guardian ad Litem, Public Defender, and Attorney General offices, sit in court with a Juvenile Court Judge, and tour local service providers. Professor Susan Griffith, [email protected], (801) 422-3947.
LawHelp Elder Law Program: Students meet with elderly clients on a weekly basis at local senior citizen centers. Students have the opportunity to draft simple wills, medical directives, and deeds on behalf of elderly clients. Professor Susan Griffith, [email protected], (801) 422-3947.
Students have the opportunity to work under the direction of a licensed attorney in order to help pro se clients complete their divorce paperwork and answer questions about the divorce process.
Brooklyn Law School's program includes the following public interest clinics:
Immigration Clinic. California Western’s immigration clinic works with ACCESS Inc. and the Operation Samahan medical-legal clinic in National City to offer assistance to those seeking lawful immigration status, employment verification, and public assistance under provisions of the Violence Against Women Act. Students who participate in the clinic work closely with supervising attorneys to help clients resolve their immigration issues.
Mediation Clinic. Students participating in the Mediation Clinic receive intense mediation training and then mediate actual disputes in Small Claims Court and juvenile detention centers.
Trademark Law Clinic. The Trademark Clinic provides free legal services for individuals and small businesses wishing to obtain a federal trademark or service mark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Our students, working under the supervision of a California-licensed attorney, provide legal assistance to clients who can afford the administrative filing fees but do not have the means to hire an attorney to advise them.
Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic:
The Gailor Family Law Litigation Clinic will address challenging family law issues including divorce, property distribution, paternity, child custody, child support and elder law among other family law issues where it is often difficult to representation for low-income individuals. The needs assessment just completed by the Chief Justice’s Commission to Access on Justice found this to be the greatest area of unmet need for legal services among North Carolinians of modest resources. While working in the clinic, students will learn a client-centered approach to the practice of family law by engaging in client counseling, case strategy, negotiation and, if necessary, assist with trial of family law cases under the ‘Student Practice Rule.” The clinic also provides students with the opportunity to work on various types of family law cases with several different clients during their semester in clinic and beyond.
Restorative Justice Project
The Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) is a collaborative effort of the Campbell School of Law and the Tenth Judicial District, which is comprised of Wake County. The program receives referrals from the juvenile justice system, the court system, and the school system for juveniles who are accused of criminal activity or disruptive behavior. JJP strives to bring victims and offenders together in an effort to foster collaborative healing, rather than specifically seeking punishment. Campbell Law students engage all involved parties in dialogue to address the specifics of a violation, how it occurred, why it occurred, and what happened as a result. The project aims to discover how people and communities are hurt as a result of crime, and seeks to find the best solution to repair the damage that has been done.
Blanchard Community Law Clinic
The Clinic partners with non-profit agencies in the community (including Alliance Medical Ministry, StepUp Ministry, the Raleigh Rescue Mission, and Urban Ministries) to provide solutions to legal problems encountered by clients of those agencies. The clinic, which was launched in September 2016, has made a tremendous impact in the Raleigh community within a short period. From its launch through the end of January 2018, the Blanchard Community Law Clinic has handled more than 100 cases, including expunctions, family disputes, domestic violence protection orders, landlord/tenant issues, and many others. Recently, the clinic received its first monetary settlement as a result of a landlord violating the Fair Housing Act. Legal services are provided by Campbell Law students, under the supervision of clinic director, Ashley H. Campbell. Students handle cases with a high level of independence and conduct client interviews, prepare motions, oversee case management, and make court appearances. Through this experience, students gain important practical legal skills and an appreciation for the challenges faces by citizens living in poverty. This program prepares students to be resourceful and practice-ready upon their entrance into the profession. The clinic is located off-site at the historic Raleigh landmark, the Horton-Beckham-Bretsch House.
Stubbs Bankruptcy Clinic
Working under the supervision of clinic director Ciara Rogers the students gain experience in areas such as client interviewing and fact gathering, client counseling, analyzing options and potential outcomes, observing deadlines, and client communication. As opportunities arise, students may also appear in court on behalf of their clients. In short, students have the chance to use the skills and knowledge they learn in law school to help real clients with real problems.
The clinic receives referrals from legal services, private attorneys, the bankruptcy trustees, as well as the court when a person’s pro se efforts appear to affect the proper administration of justice.
Students have a unique opportunity to engage with debtor and creditor attorneys, courtroom staff, trustees, the Bankruptcy Administrator’s office, federal judges, and, most important, real clients. This opportunity is enhanced by the clinic’s location in the Century Station Federal Building on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, where the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina holds court.
http://law.capital.edu/Legal_Clinic/
http://law.capital.edu/Family_Advocacy_Clinic/
http://www.adoptionchildwelfarelaw.org/youth_project.php
http://law.capital.edu/MediationClinic/
Milton and Charlotte Kramer Law Clinic ( https://case.edu/law/practical-training/law-clinic)
We offer nine clinics: Appellate Litigation, Community Development, Criminal Justice, First Amendment, Health, Human Trafficking, Immigration, Intellectual Property Venture, and Second Chance Reentry
Families and the Law Clinic: In the Families and the Law Clinic (FALC) students take on cases of domestic violence, family law, and immigration law. By representing persons who would otherwise proceed pro se, FALC students gain hands-on experience while learning the dynamics of domestic violence and poverty. FALC students help their clients address immediate safety needs and assert their legal rights by obtaining emergency temporary and civil protection orders (CPO). Students also represent clients in longer-term litigation arising from their abusive family situations, including resolving complex divorce, legal separation, property and debt distribution, child custody, child visitation, and child support matters. Additionally, students are able to respond to the unique needs of immigrant victims of domestic violence, helping them to attain legal status and employment authorization through VAWA self-petitions, battered spouse waivers, and U visa applications. In addition to their caseload and a weekly seminar, students participate in various community education projects and engage in policy work designed to address systemic social problems associated with domestic violence.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic: The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) provides direct representation to low income taxpayers in controversies with the IRS dealing with such issues as return filing, IRS correspondence examinations and IRS face-to-face examinations, IRS collections, and appeals to the IRS. The LITC also assists taxpayers with judicial review before the United States Tax Court, as necessary.
Veterans Advocacy and Estate Planning Clinic: (taught in the evening and ideal for part-time students) will advocate for the rights of those who have served our country in the armed forces and have been denied veterans’ benefits. In addition, students will provide estate-planning services to both veterans and non-veterans alike. Student attorneys will draft wills, trusts, health care directives and powers of attorney.
Law Students in Court Clinic: Students defend indigent adults charged with misdemeanors and juveniles charged with any offense except a few of the most serious felonies.
Criminal Prosecution Clinic: The Criminal Prosecution Clinic is a four-credit, one-semester course that provides second and third year students with intensive exposure to criminal prosecution practice through a combination of actual trial practice and classroom work. Students are assigned to work in the State's Attorney's Office of Montgomery County in Maryland, where they prosecute criminal cases in the circuit and district courts.
The Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic: The Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic (IRAC) will offer students the opportunity to advocate for immigrants and refugees in courts, administrative proceedings, and policy forums. Students will assist low-income clients living in D.C., Virginia, and Maryland who have experienced political persecution, violence, or humanitarian crisis in their home countries. IRAC will represent clients with matters such as asylum, special immigrant visas for unaccompanied minors, labor trafficking, and naturalization. In addition, students may assist clients on issues that impact or relate to the client’s immigration status such as child support, public benefits, or employment concerns. IRAC clients will include adults as well as unaccompanied minors.
Alona Cortese Elder Law Center - Founded in 2000, the Alona Cortese Elder Law Center provides free legal services to low income seniors throughout the County of Orange. The center has both a classroom and clinical component, allowing students to learn key aspects of elder law while obtaining hands-on experience representing real clients. The center works closely with local legal aid organizations and pro-bono attorneys to maximize services provided to seniors. Enrolled students help clients with numerous legal issues including claims of elder abuse, will drafting, advance health care directives, representation at administrative hearings, Medicare, Social Security, guardianship and conservatorship.
Bette and Wylie Aitken Family Violence Clinic - The Bette and Wylie Aitken Family Violence Clinic was created to address the unique challenges faced by survivors of domestic violence. Located at the secure Orange County Family Justice Center, the clinic is directed by Fowler Law professor Marisa Cianciarulo, a veteran immigration lawyer and legal clinician. Underwritten through a generous gift from Bette and Wylie Aitken, the clinic offers free assistance in immigration, human trafficking and protection order matters for clients who meet income eligibility requirements.
Mediation Clinic - The Mediation Clinic allows students to develop and use mediation skills through regular and frequent practice with actual clients under the supervision of Professor David Dowling and experienced mediators in the Superior Court. The clinic provides the students with hands on experience with real litigants in a variety of different cases. The clinic mediates 700 real cases annually. While working in the Mediation Clinic, students have an opportunity to mediate many different types of cases with actual clients such as, Civil Harassment Restraining Orders, Debt Collections, Unlawful Detainer, Small Claims Trial De Novo and Limited Civil.
Tax Law Clinic - The Tax Law Clinic is the oldest clinical program at Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law, offering both trial and appellate tax clinic opportunities to our students. Chapman is currently one of only three law schools in California - and a very small percentage of law schools nationwide - to be awarded a federal grant to operate a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic ("LITC"). The law school has been a recipient of a LITC grant award in each year since the program's inception. In the trial level tax clinic, law students have the chance to handle cases in many different stages of controversy including case that are in the U.S. Tax Court. If settlement efforts fail, the student may have the opportunity to take the case to trial. In 2008, the law school launched the Appellate Tax Advocacy Clinic course. This course lets students participate in docketed appellate tax cases conducted under the auspices of The Center for Fair Administration of Taxation. Here, students do not represent taxpayers before the IRS, but rather they participate in drafting amicus curiae ("friend of the court") briefs in significant matters that impact federal, state or local tax law.
Criminal Defenders Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Immigration & Refugee Rights Clinic
Elder Law Clinic
Economic Development Clinic
International Women's Human Rights Clinic
Economic Justice Clinic
Heath Law Concentration
Equality Concentration
Adolescent Representation Clinic
Challenging the Consequences of Mass Incarceration Clinic
Community Advocacy Lab
Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic
Environmental Law Clinic
Health Justice Advocacy Clinic
Human Rights Clinic
Immigrants' Rights Clinic
Lawyering in the Digital Age Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic
Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic
Capital Punishment Clinic: Post-Conviction Litigation
Capital Trial Clinic I and II
Child Advocacy Clinic
Criminal Defense Trial Clinic
Farmworker Legal Assistance
Global Gender Justice Clinic
Human Rights Advocacy at Home and Abroad
International Human Rights Clinic
Labor Law Clinic
LGBT Clinic
New York State Attorney General Clinic
Prosecution Trial Clinic
Regulation Room
Securities Law Clinic
The Milton R. Abrahams Legal Clinic is a general clinic offering a number of civil legal services to low-income, Douglas County residents, with a priority for individuals who have experienced domestic violence and for individuals attempting to secure or maintain safe, affordable housing. The highest demand for services is with issues of child support and custody, divorce, protection orders and landlord-tenant disputes.
The Immigration and Refugee Clinic operates in partnership with a local nonprofit organization, Immigrant Legal Center, to provide direct services to immigrants and refugees in open cases in immigration court and before administrative agencies. The clinic focuses specifically on three types of clients: asylum seekers and refugees, unaccompanied minors, and victims of human trafficking or other abuse.
Most of the clinics at the College of Law are public service. Community-based service learning has a long tradition at DePaul University, and the College of Law exemplifies this practice through its clinical programs. Under faculty supervision and guidance, students sharpen their skills and knowledge while engaging in legal practice outside the formal classroom setting. They earn academic credit while concentrating on the problems faced by clients in these distinct areas: Immigration/Asylum & Refugee Law, Civil Litigation and Health Law, Civil Rights, Criminal Appeals, Community Law, Family Law, and Misdemeanors. Clinics are open to law students starting their second year, with programs lasting either one semester or an entire academic year. Please visit the Clinic website for more information: https://law.depaul.edu/academics/experiential-learning/legal-clinics/Pages/default.aspx
Criminal Defense Clinic
Children’s Rights Clinic
Civil Practice Clinic
Entrepreneurial/Transactional Clinic
Refugee Clinic
Wrongful Convictions Clinic
Drexel Law currently has four clinics: The Civil Litigation Field Clinic, The Criminal Litigation Field Clinic, The Public Health and Environmental Law Field Clinic, and The Appellate Litigation Clinic (in-house).
AIDS Legal Assistance Project
Children's Education Law Project
Clinic for the Special Court for Sierra Leone
Community Enterprise Clinic
Death Penalty Clinic
Civil Rights Clinic
Family Law Clinic
Federal Litigation Clinic
Unemployment Compensation Clinic
Veterans Clinic
Wills and Healthcare Decisions Clinic
Youth Advocacy Clinic
Wills Drafting Clinic
Juvenile Justice Mediation Clinic
Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic
The Barton Child Law and Policy Center includes the Public Policy and Legislative Advocacy Clinic, Juvenile Defender Clinic, and Appeal for Youth Clinic.
International Humanitarian Law Clinic
Turner Environmental Clinic
We also have a number of volunteer clinics. Please see the section on “Student Run Pro Bono Groups and Specialized Law Education Projects.” To learn more about all of our clinics, visit https://law.emory.edu/academics/clinics/index.html.
The law school sponsors a Mediation Clinic where students provide hands-on mediation services to litigants in the district court. The law school also offers a Family Violence Clinic where students interview, advise and represent clients in court when necessary and an Elder Law Clinic where students provide legal counsel to low-income, elderly clients with diverse legal needs. All student work is performed under the direction of a clinical professor.
The law school offers live client clinics in which the students may participate. These clinics include: family law, consumer law, immigrant rights, housing rights, disability & benefits, and Caribbean law. See https://www.fcsl.edu/current-students/experiential-learning
Consumer Bankruptcy Clinic
Death Penalty Clinic
Environmental Law Clinic
Family & Education Law Clinic
Health Law & Policy (HELP) Clinic
Immigrant Children's Justice Clinic
Immigration & Human Rights Clinic
Investor Advocacy Clinic
Small Business Clinic
Children's Advocacy Clinic - The Children's Advocacy Clinic represents children in foster care, juvenile delinquency, health care, special education, disability, social security and criminal law cases. The Children's Advocacy Clinic, directed by Clinical Professor Paolo Annino, is nationally and internationally recognized for its advocacy on behalf of children.
Family Law Clinic - The Family Law Clinic serves low income clients with a wide range of family law issues, including dissolution of marriage, custody, visitation, injunctions against violence, paternity, modifications and contempt of court. Clinical Professor Ruth Stone directs the activities of the Family Law Clinic.
Appellate Litigation
Community Economic Development
Consumer Litigation
Corporate Social Responsibility
Criminal Defense
Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
Family Advocacy
Federal Litigation
Federal Tax
Immigrant Rights
International Human Rights
International Law & Development in Africa
Legislative and Policy Advocacy
Mediation
Queens District Attorney Prosecution
Samuelson-Glushko Intellectual Property and Information Law
Securities Litigation & Arbitration
Presidential Succession Part II
Laurie Kohn, Interim Jacob Burns Foundation Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, [email protected], 202-994-5784
https://www.law.gwu.edu/clinics
Affordable Housing Transactions Clinic (Harrison Institute)
Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic
Appellate Litigation Clinic
Center for Applied Legal Studies
Community Justice Project
Criminal Defense & Prisoner Advocacy Clinic
Criminal Justice Clinic
DC Law Students in Court
DC Street Law Program
Domestic Violence Clinic
Federal Legislation Clinic
Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance
Institute for Public Representation
International Women’s Human Rights Clinic
Juvenile Justice Clinic
The Policy Clinic: Climate, Health & Food, Human Rights, and Trade (Harrison Institute)
The Social Enterprise & Nonprofit Law Clinic
For more information on clinics, visit: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/experiential-learning/clinics/
Our three in-house clinics, HeLP Legal Services Clinic, Investor Advocacy Clinic, Philip C. Cook Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, operate as a law firm in the Center for Clinical Education, where they serve clients who cannot afford legal help. Clinic students develop their legal skills by directly representing clients. These real lawyering experiences provide rich opportunities for students to learn about the lawyer’s role and ethical engagement.
HeLP Legal Services Clinic
Students develop professional skills in a variety of civil subject matter areas by representing low-income children receiving health care services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta facilities.
Philip C. Cook Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
The tax clinic promotes professional skills and training as students represent low-income people during the post-audit stage of their Internal Revenue Service disputes.
Off-Site Clinics
Students take clinical courses and perform legal work off-site in the areas of criminal law and mediation under the supervision of adjunct faculty.
Capital Defender Clinic
Capital Defender Clinic students help the capital defender attorneys effectively represent individuals facing the death penalty, and build factual and legal narratives that will lead to the reversal of death sentences on appeal.
Landlord-Tenant Mediation Clinic
Landlord-Tenant Mediation Clinic students receive training and certification as registered neutrals. They mediate landlord/tenant disputes and other disputes, including cases handled in the State and Magistrate courts; particularly small claim civil issues such as disputes between neighbors, consumers and businesses and creditors and debtors.
v Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic
Taught in partnership with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Disability Integration Project, the clinic focuses on advocacy arising out of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision.
http://law.gsu.edu/clinics/
Environmental Law & Justice Clinic (ELJC): The Clinic focuses on addressing environmental justice issues. Students work on active litigation in court, make presentations at administrative proceedings and carry out the clinic's community education activities.
Women's Employment Rights Clinic (WERC): Students provide advice, counseling, and legal representation to low-income workers in areas including: sex and race discrimination and harassment, wage and hour claims, unemployment benefits, pregnancy disability, and family leave.
Pro Bono Tax Clinic: Students provide advice, counseling, and legal representation to low-income individuals in certain tax disputes with the California Board of Equalization. This course is offered through the LL.M. Tax program and JD students must obtain pre-approval from the program director.
HLP Lawyering Skills: Students learn counseling, interviewing, and negotiating skills in class simulations, then work with real clients. Training is provided in both lawyering skills and substantive law. Under the professor's supervision, students act as advocates for clients in a variety of settings. This course is open only to students in the Honors Lawyering Program (HLP).
The Gonzaga Center for Law and Justice is home to University Legal Assistance (ULA), a not-for-profit clinical law program. The Clinic is modeled after a general-practice law firm. Managed by faculty members, the ULA provides students the opportunity to apply academics to legal practice. ULA is separated into seven individual clinics, each focusing on a different area of legal practice, including: Business Law, Federal Tax Law, Consumer Law (including mortgage foreclosure mediation), General Practice, Elder Law, Indian Law, and Environmental Law.
Beginning 2014-15, Gonzaga Law students are required to take at least six credits (maximum of 15 credits) of experiential learning during their second and/or third years in law school (up from three required credits in prior years.) Accelerated JD students are required to take 12 credits of experiential learnings. Students may earn a maximum of 15 total clinical law credits, which fulfill this experiential learning requirement.
Each academic year, Harvard Law School offers more than 50 courses with clinical components. The Law School supports and staffs 10 in-house specifically for the practice education of second- and third-year law students.
HLS Clinics include:
- Criminal Justice Institute
- Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Government Lawyering and International Criminal Tribunal Program
- Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic
- Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
- International Human Rights Program
- Negotiation and Mediation Clinic
- Supreme Court Clinic
- WilmerHale Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (LSC)
Note: In addition to the clinics, a limited number of students can earn credit through participation in a Student Practice Organization (SPO). SPOs, which are student-run and supervised by clinical instructors, provide a variety of legal services to the low-income community. They include Prison Legal Assistance Project, Tenant Advocacy Project, Harvard Defenders, and the Mediation Program.
Learn more about the clinical program here
Child Advocacy Clinic
Child Advocacy Clinic students learn the facets of client advocacy through the challenging experience of representing children in abuse and neglect cases, and special immigrant juvenile matters. Students advocate in New York City and Nassau Family Courts on behalf of children in cases where the allegations range from physical and sexual abuse to educational neglect, abandonment and inadequate supervision. In court, Clinic students advocate vigorously for their clients in all aspects of the practice, including picking up cases at arraignment, advocating at hearings and trials, engaging in motion practice and formulating dispositional plans. Outside of court, students maintain regular contact with their clients, investigate the factual allegations of neglect or abuse involved on their court cases, formulate realistic and compassionate plans for clients and their families, and work closely with mental health professionals, caseworkers, teachers and foster parents to ensure their clients' needs are being met.
Community and Economic Development Clinic
Students in the Community and Economic Development Clinic provide transactional (non-litigation) assistance to nonprofits, community-based organizations and micro-enterprises in low-income communities in and around Nassau County, with a preference for clients that contribute to social and economic justice. Clients include newly-forming organizations requiring start-up assistance and more mature entities that need help in connection with the more complex issues arising from organizational success and growth. The Clinic's work includes: counseling concerning choice-of-entity decisions, incorporation, application for recognition of tax-exempt status, drafting/review of contracts, zoning matters, negotiations, and support for community organizing, legal research, community education and other needs of our clients. Students also examine the special ethical issues that are present in group and entity representation.
Criminal Justice Clinic
Students in the Criminal Justice Clinic represent indigent clients charged with misdemeanors in Nassau County District Court and Queens County Criminal Court. Clinic interns provide the entire range of legal representation, from initial interview to sentencing. Court room advocacy includes arraignments, bail arguments, bench conferences, evidentiary hearings, oral arguments on motions, bench and jury trials, plea dispositions and sentencings. Lawyering skills practiced outside the court room include interviewing, counseling, fact and crime scene investigation, negotiation with assistant district attorneys, and researching and drafting pleadings, motions and other memoranda. Students may also represent clients in related proceedings including parole revocation, school suspension, and Department of Motor Vehicle hearings where these hearings arise from the facts of the criminal case.
Immigrant Justice Clinic
The Immigrant Justice Clinic focuses on the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Students will defend individual immigrants in removal (deportation) proceedings. In addition, students will represent immigrant community organizations on affirmative litigation and advocacy projects aimed at addressing policing practices that disproportionately and unjustifiably target immigrant populations. Students will gain substantive knowledge in both criminal and immigration law. We will also focus on exploring the various litigation and non-litigation advocacy strategies that all community lawyers should have at their disposal. Toward this end, students will develop significant litigation skills, such as brief writing, examination of witnesses, and oral argument, and non-litigation skills, such as negotiation, media work, and legislative advocacy.
Housing Rights Clinic
In the Housing Rights Clinic, students handle a wide variety of housing cases for low-income clients, such as defenses of eviction cases, actions by tenants against landlords challenging substandard conditions in their apartments, fair housing and exclusionary zoning cases, public utility shut-off cases, and work on behalf of community groups for housing rehabilitation. Each student has a caseload of two or three smaller cases and one complex case. Students prepare and present their cases in state and federal courts. The course develops lawyering skills with special emphasis on litigation strategy, pretrial and trial preparation, and trial advocacy. In their representation of clients in actual cases, students have the opportunity to engage in interviewing and counseling, negotiation, fact investigation and discovery, oral advocacy, direct and cross-examination, and trial argument. Students also draft research memoranda, strategy memoranda, pleadings, motions and trial briefs. Special attention is placed on professional responsibility issues and strategic case planning methods.
Mediation Clinic
Students in the Mediation Clinic will serve as mediators in actual cases involving small claims cases and family court matters, including custody/visitation and PINS cases. Students complete an intensive mediation training program with a NYS Court Certified Mediation Trainer. Student mediators help parties involved in a conflict to negotiate and make decisions about the conflict's outcome. The mediations take place either at the Clinic offices or on-site at a referring court or agency. Under the Clinical Instructor's supervision, students will: screen and develop cases; interview parties to a dispute and advise them about the mediation process; mediate cases in two-student teams; and, draft settlement agreements. The mission of the Mediation Clinic is not to train students to be professional mediators; rather, the mission is to teach them fundamental lawyering skills such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and effective problem solving, all of which are essential to every attorney's work.
Political Asylum Clinic
In the Political Asylum Clinic, students represent political asylum applicants in immigration proceedings before Asylum Officers, Immigration Judges, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Our clients fled their countries because of torture or other persecution, based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. If they are granted political asylum, our clients will be able to remain in the United States, to bring their immediate family here, and one year after winning asylum, to apply for permanent residence. Our clients' lives literally depend on the outcome of the asylum case. Students have represented clients from such countries as Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Trinidad, Albania, Chad, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Jamaica, Tibet, India and Nepal.
Securities Arbitration Clinic
In the Securities Arbitration Clinic, students will be introduced to the fundamental principles for securities arbitration primarily initiated by or against investors of modest means before either the New York Stock Exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers now combined into FINRA. Students will also be instructed with respect to the principles of securities regulations relevant to typical investor claims against broker/dealers. Students (in teams of two) will be assigned to cases and will serve as advocates for the clients. Such assignments will include case intake, case development, research of legal issues, preparation of arbitration filings, and representation of the client before the arbitration panel hearing each claim.
All of Howard's clinics are public interest in nature. Students participating in these clinics take on community outreach projects as part of their clinical experience. Howard offers the following clinics: Criminal Justice, Fair Housing, Civil Rights, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Investor Justice & Education, and Intellectual Property & Trademark.
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic - Students who intern in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic provide free assistance to impoverished clients in connection with a wide variety of federal tax disputes. Students have primary responsibility for advising and representing taxpayers who are battling the Internal Revenue Service and in the midst of ongoing civil examinations, administrative appeals, and enforced collection actions. Students also work closely with the supervising professor to prepare and try cases before the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. District Court. Typical issues include proving entitlement to the Earned Income Tax Credit, establishing status as an Innocent Spouse, substantiating business or personal deductions claimed on tax returns, seeking relief from various civil penalties, and stopping the IRS from seizing a client's wages or other assets.
Mediation and ADR Procedures Clinic - Students who intern in the Mediation and Other ADR Procedures Clinic engage in training and practice in mediation, arbitration, and other ADR techniques. They become certified as mediators and conduct a number of mediations over the course of the semester. Typical cases include juvenile court cases, criminal misdemeanor cases, employment discrimination cases, landlord-tenant disputes, and small claims court disputes. They also assist the clinical professors in arbitrating cases and drafting arbitration opinions.
Students who intern in the Employment Discrimination/Civil Rights Litigation with some General Practice Program work on employment discrimination disputes and civil rights cases in the federal and state courts and at administrative agencies; the work also includes some general civil practice. A unique feature of this Program and the Criminal Defense Litigation Program is their fee-generating practice which enables their student interns to receive their clinical practice experience in non-poverty as well as poverty cases and have the opportunity to work in a realistic practice environment.
Students enrolled in the Health & Disability Law Clinic will have the opportunity to work on a variety of compelling disability and health related cases/issues. The clinic represents adults and children with various medical impairments, including diabetes and autism, in cases that typically involve issues such as: disability discrimination in schools; discrimination in employment; vaccine-related injuries; Social Security disability benefits; and benefit denials by private insurance companies. Students will experience what it's like to use their legal skills, intelligence and passion to advocate for disadvantaged individuals against government bureaucracies and corporate interests.
Community Legal Clinic: Through the Community Legal Clinic, second- and third-year law students have the opportunity to sharpen and develop skills while representing clients under the supervision of a licensed supervising attorney. The clinic's clients are local residents, and many, if not all, clients have limited incomes that prevent private legal counsel. The clinic focuses on family law cases, including divorce, establishment of paternity, guardianship, adoption, parenting, and custody.
Conservation Law Clinic: The clinic provides legal services to nonprofit organizations, units of government, and other clients in support of natural resource conservation. Center attorneys and clinic students collaborate to resolve organization and incorporation problems, draft model legislation, and advocate for conservation of wildlife, ecological systems, and protected areas for clients whose issues involve advocacy-in the broadest sense of the word-for natural resources.
Disability Law Clinic: Through the Disability Law Clinic, second- and third-year students work with residents of South- Central Indiana to access benefits and services designed to assist low-income people, including veterans, with disabilities.
Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic: The Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, jointly sponsored by the IU Kelley School of Business and Indiana Law, gives third-year law students and fourth-year joint degree students the opportunity to help new high-growth potential ventures become more operational and sustainable. Students advise entrepreneurs who otherwise might not be able to afford their expertise.
Nonprofit Law Clinic: The NPLC provides students with opportunities to engage in public interest lawyering through business and transactional work for non-profit organizations. Students will form new entities; draft and negotiate contracts; provide basic tax advice; assist with funding and financing projects; advise on governance, communications and compliance matters; provide general corporate support to the clinic's clients; and provide other transactional legal assistance as needed.
Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children Mediation Clinic: The Viola J. Taliaferro Family and Children Mediation Clinic is offered to second- and third-year law students. It offers hands-on mediation experience in a combined 6-credit course and clinical experience in which students mediate real-life disputes involving families with children, such as custody, parenting time, child support, and related disputes between parents in family law cases. This is an interdisciplinary clinical program in which the director, Amy Applegate, and her students collaborate in both research and training with faculty and students from IU's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology Department). This collaboration is intended to improve the mediation process for families that mediate and to assist families in focusing on and reaching agreements that best meet their children's needs.
Students in the IU McKinney Law Clinics assist indigent clients with a variety of legal issues. Clinics include:
Appellate Clinic: In the Appellate Clinic, students represent indigent clients in civil or criminal appeals under the supervision of clinical faculty. Students are responsible for all aspects of representation, including client communication, drafting motions and briefs to the Indiana Court of Appeals, presenting oral argument, and litigating a petition for transfer to the Indiana Supreme Court
Child Advocacy Law Clinic: The Child Advocacy Law Clinic is an opportunity for second and third-year law students to work with Child Advocates, the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) agency for Marion County. Child Advocates represents and protects the best interest of children in Marion County who are victims of life-threatening abuse or neglect.
Civil Practice Clinic: The Civil Practice Clinic provides legal representation and brief advice and service to low-income clients on a variety of general civil matters, namely: family law, consumer, child support, housing, expungement, domestic violence, environmental, guardianship, and other miscellaneous civil cases
Criminal Defense Clinic: In the Criminal Defense Clinic, students represent indigent clients in criminal cases involving a variety of misdemeanor or Level 6 felony charges, which are referred to the clinic by the Marion County Public Defender Agency
Disability Law Clinic: In the Disability Law Clinic, students help unravel the complexities of the federal regulatory system to assist clients in qualifying for or maintaining disability benefits. Students assume primary responsibility for cases, working under the supervision of a clinical faculty member.
Health and Human Rights Clinic: Students in the Health and Human Rights Clinic engage in domestic and international human rights advocacy and litigation, usually concerning the social determinants of health. Students directly represent, under faculty supervision, low-income clients from the community and engage in advocacy in the form of trial court litigation, administrative hearings, appellate briefs, investigations and reports, and public education.
Immigration Law Clinic: Students in the Immigration Clinic represent both detained and non-detained clients in immigration matters before federal administrative agencies under the supervision of the professor/counsel. Typical cases involve claims of asylum, family-based immigration petitions (including domestic violence) and crime victim visas.
Intellectual Property Law Clinic: Students in the Intellectual Property Law Clinic perform tasks in preparing and filing patent and trademark applications for clients for whom finances are a barrier to seeking legal representation. Students hone interviewing skills to understand the details of the inventions or trademarks that need protection. The Clinic provides guidance for patentability and trademark searching and uses this information to draft thorough applications. For patent applications, students have an opportunity to apply claim drafting skills to navigate around the identified art to gain protection for the client. Students further prepare the drawings and written specifications for provisional patent applications that meet the requirements of Patent Law and the MPEP.
Re-Entry Assistance and Community Help (REACH) Clinic: The REACH Clinic engages students in a variety of legal experiences. It integrates legal doctrine, theories of punishment, and numerous legal and professional skills all while applying legal ethics in a diversity of settings. The course is comprised of two components: 1) mentor-advocacy; and 2) community outreach and legal representation.
Wrongful Conviction Clinic: The Wrongful Conviction Clinic is a founding member of the Innocence Network. Students represent clients claiming actual innocence seeking relief in state post-conviction and federal habeas proceedings.
- Environmental Clinic
- Domestic Violence Clinic
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Minor Law Clinic
Animal Law Clinic: The clinic focuses on matters of national and international importance, in addition to maintaining connections and working in the local community. Students conduct research, represent clients, work on clinic projects, and with attorneys outside the clinic to develop the field of animal law and encourage consideration of the interests of animals in legal decision making. Work includes research, transactional work, litigation, and strategic planning. Where possible students also shadow local lawyers, work with lawyer partners around the country, observe legal proceedings, and conduct field work to better understand the problems facing animals.
Crime Victim Litigation Clinic: In collaboration with the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), the clinic focuses on the assertion and enforcement of victims' rights within the criminal justice system. Students provide practicing attorneys and victim advocates information, research, and legal analysis on victim law. Those projects require the students to apply legal research, writing, and analysis to live legal issues.
Criminal Justice Reform Clinic: The Criminal Justice Reform Clinic (CJRC) operates within the Oregon Justice Resource Center. CJRC students will have an opportunity to learn about and work on cases/issues related to innocence through the Oregon Innocence Project, advancing criminal justice reform (including appellate advocacy) through the Criminal Justice Project or post incarceration prisoner reentry through the Reentry Law Project. Students involved in the Clinic will have the opportunity to conduct investigations; conduct legal/fact research and analysis; write motions, briefs and reports for filing in state trial and appellate courts; interview and advise clients; attend legal and legislative meetings and hearings; and meet and participate in strategy sessions with members of the bar, the judiciary and community leaders. Students will also benefit from guest lectures by experienced attorneys, former clients, and allied professionals (e.g., psychologists, legislators, law enforcement, activists).
Earthrise: Environmental Clinic: The clinic represents a broad spectrum of environmental organizations seeking to prevent or reduce pollution and protect wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems. Students work on actual environmental cases and administrative issues under the supervision of the clinical professors.
International Environmental Law Project: The clinic focuses on developing, implementing, and enforcing international environmental law to tackle some of today's most challenging global issues. Students prepare documents and materials for meetings of the parties to international conventions and organizations, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Whaling Commission, and NAFTA's environmental commission. Students may also prepare submissions to international tribunals to enforce international environmental law or draft new environmental treaties. Documents may be prepared on behalf of environmental organizations, governments, or international institutions.
Small Business Legal Clinic: The clinic provides business transactional legal advice to new and emerging businesses, primarily those owned by women, minorities, and recent immigrants. Students interview and counsel small business clients, draft and negotiate contracts and leases, and advocate for clients in regulatory and other civil matters.
The law school offers students the opportunity to participate in the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, which works in conjunction with Liberty Counsel. Relationships with other organizations will be explored in the future. Students are required to attend a weekly classroom component and participate in all phases of newly filed and ongoing Liberty Counsel cases, including direct client contact, attorney strategy sessions, drafting of legal documents, and, where permitted by local rules, trials and hearings.
Domestic Violence Protection Clinic
Third-year students are certified to practice law and represent victims of domestic and dating violence in East Baton Rouge Family Court. Student experiences include interviewing victims, negotiating settlement, and representing clients in court hearings. Through the classroom and real world experience, students learn the fundamentals of family law, Louisiana's abuse protection law and procedure, and perfect trial skills through frequent court appearances. Although cases are before the Family Court, the knowledge and trial experience gained are transferable to other areas of practice. The clinic cooperates with the Battered Women's Program of the Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center. Participation is limited to third-year students and requires consent of the Instructor. Prerequisite is The Legal Profession.
Juvenile Representation Clinic
Third-year students are certified to practice law and represent juveniles in delinquency proceedings in the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court. Students work closely with faculty at the Law Center and attorneys in the Juvenile Public Defender's Office. Students gain experience in the criminal justice system and perfect their trial skills through frequent court appearances. This Clinic provides a solid understanding of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Juvenile Law. Although the work is expressly with juveniles, the practical experiences translate to other areas of legal practice. Participation is limited to third-year students and requires consent of the Instructor. Prerequisite is The Legal Profession.
Immigration Legal Services Clinic
Third-year students are certified to practice law and represent individuals with immigration matters through administrative processes and proceedings and appeal. Students gain practical experience traveling to immigration detention centers throughout the state, interviewing clients, appearing for clients before the Immigration Court in Oakdale, Louisiana, or New Orleans, as well as client representation before other administrative bodies. Students learn the fundamentals of Immigration Law and Immigration Practice and Procedure as well as general Administrative Law practice. Participation is limited to second and third-year students and requires consent of the Instructor.
Family Mediation Clinic
Third-year students are certified to practice law and are trained to be Family Law Mediators. The class provides intensive instruction and simulation that prepares students to be capable mediators in family disputes. Although the clinic focuses on mediation in the family context, the skills learned are applicable in other mediation and negotiation contexts. Once trained, students are provided with the opportunity to mediate for real families in crisis and assist with their self-determination of child custody, visitation, support and property. Students will meet statutory requirements of Qualified Family Mediators.
Cancer Legal Resource Center
Center for Conflict Resolution
Center for Restorative Justice
Civil Rights Litigation Course
Disability Rights Legal Center
Education Advocacy
Hobbs District Attorney Program
Housing Law Course
Juvenile Justice Clinic
Public Interest Law Practice Seminar
State Board of Equalization (SBE) Tax Clinic
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
COMMUNITY LAW CENTER
OBTAIN REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE in representing Chicago-area residents who cannot afford legal services. You'll acquire valuable first-hand knowledge about the essential skills involved in the practice of law, including client interviewing and counseling, case planning and negotiation, fact investigation, and oral and written advocacy.
LEGISLATION AND POLICY CLINIC
WORK ON POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH and advocacy projects that have an impact on systems affecting underserved and underrepresented children and families, including child protection, juvenile justice, health, and immigration.
CIVITAS CHILDLAW CLINIC
DEVELOP SKILLS NEEDED TO REPRESENT CHILDREN by serving as children's lawyers in cases primarily involving child protection and high-conflict child custody disputes. Other areas of practice include education, immigration, delinquency, and international child abduction.
FEDERAL TAX CLINIC
UNDER CLOSE FACULTY SUPERVISION, the Federal Tax Clinic allows students to represent low-income taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Tax Court.
BUSINESS LAW CLINIC
THROUGH COUNSELING SMALL BUSINESSES, the Business Law Clinic educates students about the transactional practice of law. Under the supervision of clinical attorneys, students put into practice business-oriented knowledge and classroom learnings by providing non-litigation-oriented legal services to small business entrepreneurs.
HEALTH JUSTICE PROJECT
PROVIDE EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION to low-income clients by working in collaboration with health care providers to overcome the social and systemic barriers that prevent long-term health and stability.
Law Clinic - The Loyola Law Clinic Students receive six hours credit for two semesters and gain practical experience under the supervision of clinical faculty. https://law.loyno.edu/centers/law-clinic-center-social-justice
In addition to formal for-credit opportunities, Marquette Law School has an extensive offering of pro bono public interest clinics, allowing students to participate in active client intake and lawyering on a wide range of issues. The Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics involve more than 200 law students and 300 volunteer lawyers each year in service to the community at various locations including the Milwaukee County Veterans' Services Office and the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Additionally, the Marquette Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations provides legal advice to Wisconsin nonprofit organizations and organizations seeking tax-exempt or nonprofit status.
Rental Housing Clinic I & Rental Housing Clinic II
Tax Clinic I & Tax Clinic II
Mitchell Hamline offers the following clinics, which focus on representing low-income clients:
Business Law Clinic
Child Protection Clinic
Civil Advocacy Clinic
Employment Discrimination Mediation Representation Clinic
Health Law Clinic (a medical-legal partnership)
Housing Justice Chatbot Clinic
Indian Law Clinic: Impact Litigation
Indian Law Clinic: Tribal Code Drafting
Innocence Clinic
Intellectual Property Clinic
Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners Clinic
Low-Income Taxpayers Clinic
Re-Entry Clinic
State Public Defender Postconviction Clinic
The in-house clinics and externships are administered jointly under the umbrella of the clinical courses. Most clinics and placements are entirely Public Interest.
Criminal Law Clinic
Elder Law Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Poverty Law Clinic
Securities Arbitration Clinic
NYU Law's extensive clinical programs function as public interest law firms, supervised by clinical faculty and in some cases, lawyers in government or private organizations.
Please see http://www.law.nyu.edu/academics/clinics/ for more a complete list of NYU's clinics.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic – The ADR Clinic is designed to introduce students to the range of available disputes resolution processes, particularly within North Carolina court-annexed ADR programs, and to teach them how to determine what process may be most appropriate for resolving different kinds of cases. Students will be required to complete a 40-hour training program in Basic Mediation, Arbitration, Collaborative Law, and related subjects. Students must also attend at least five district court sessions as mediators and participate in at least six mediations, attend and observe Drug Treatment Court and district court arbitrations, participate in or observe an elective from a wide range of cases including mediation, mediation-arbitration and arbitration, and keep a journal.
Civil Litigation Clinic (Classroom) – The classroom component of the clinic includes lectures, readings, written assignments and trial simulations. (2 credits) Pre-requisite: Trial Practice.
Civil Litigation Clinic (Field/Summer) – Students participate in the supervised representation of civil litigants under the North Carolina third-year practice rule. Students work in the law school clinic for a minimum of 15 hours per week. Pre-requisites: Trial Practice and Civil Litigation Clinic(Classroom).
Criminal Litigation Clinic (Classroom) – The classroom component of the clinic includes lectures, readings, written assignments and trial simulations. The course focuses on learning the procedure that governs the disposition of criminal cases in North Carolina. The course grade is based on an examination and students' prosecution or defense of a mock criminal trial. Pre-requisites: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence and Trial Practice
Criminal Litigation Clinic (Field) – Students participate in the supervised representation of criminal defendants under the North Carolina third-year practice rule. Students work for a minimum of 10 hours per week and earn two credit hours graded on a pass-fail basis. Cases may be referred by the Public Defenders Program or students may be placed in a local prosecutor's office. The students comprise attorney members of a law firm which meets on a weekly basis. Each student is required to be present in the clinic offices to assist in its operation a minimum of two (2) hours per week. Pre-requisites: Trial Practice and Criminal Litigation Clinic (Classroom).
Domestic Violence Clinic – In this clinical component course, students will first complete a classroom-based training program. Students will then provide advice and counsel to victims of domestic violence referred from local programs, shelters and hotlines, on how to obtain immediate legal protection against their aggressors. All students will practice under the supervision of the Domestic Violence Clinical Supervising Attorney. Credit received is dependent upon hours invested by the student in accordance with the formula provided by the ABA Standards. Students eligible under the third-year practice rule have the opportunity to represent clients in obtaining protective orders in the Durham County District Court. Pre-requisite: Domestic Violence: History, Law and Practice.
Family Law Clinic (Classroom) – The Family Law Clinic is a one year program that combines the learning of practical skills, North Carolina family law, pretrial litigation skills, and practical civil procedure with supervised representation of live clients. Students may choose to intern in the clinic or extern with local agencies or family law attorneys. A variety of matters are handled by this clinic, including emergency custody orders, absolute divorces, name changes, separation agreements, competency proceedings, Legal Aid of North Carolina partners with this clinic. Clinic students also conduct "File It Yourself" Custody and Visitation Workshops for the general public every month in Durham and Wake Counties. During these workshops, the supervising attorney gives a brief lecture on the law and interns provide paperwork and instruction for completing the necessary custody action forms. Prerequisites: Family Law (may be taken concurrently) and Trial Practice.
Juvenile Law Clinic – Students participating will represent clients in juvenile detention and long-term suspension administrative hearings. The Clinic will entail a 30-40 hour classroom component consisting of the Juvenile Delinquency Code and Durham Public Schools' Policies and Procedures on long-term suspension as well as 60-70 hours in the field for a total of 100 hours. Prerequisites: Criminal Law, Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure and Trial Practice. (Criminal Procedure and Trial Practice may be taken concurrently with the clinic.)
Pro Bono Clinic – This course allows students to participate in pro bono projects offered through the Pro Bono Program Office or a self-designed, instructor approved pro bono project. Each student is required to work a minimum of 45 hours and to provide either a finished written work product from the project or a final report describing the completed pro bono project.
Civil Rights and Restorative Justice (CRRJ) - This clinic addresses harms resulting from the massive breakdown in law enforcement during the civil rights movement, from the 1950s to the early 1970s.
CRRJ's aim is to investigate the role of state, local and federal law enforcement agencies and courts in protecting activists and their work. CRRJ examines the geo-politics that led to the large-scale breakdown of law enforcement, the wide-spread repression against the movement's participants, and the reforms that have been initiated to rectify these abuses. The clinic engages teachers and students across the university and is directed by faculty from the School of Law and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Community Business Clinic – The Community Business Clinic offers students real-world experience in providing free, business-related legal services to startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially those in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Students help clients with a wide range of business-related needs, including: choosing the best business entity for their goals (corporation, limited liability company, etc.); purchasing, vendor and other agreements; employment law; licenses, permits, zoning, leases; intellectual property; state and local regulatory issues; and legal issues related to financing including for micro lending programs, loans from family members, and other nontraditional funding sources.
Students interview clients, negotiate agreements, draft and review documents, represent clients on permitting and other regulatory matters, and advise clients on the many other, often-complex legal issues that entrepreneurs and small businesses face.
Domestic Violence Clinic - This clinic, part of the Domestic Violence Institute focuses on violence prevention, restraining order enforcement and criminal intervention in Dorchester District Court, Boston's largest community court. The clinic offers students an opportunity to develop many traditional lawyering skills, including interviewing and counseling clients and advocating in the courtroom. The emphasis, however, is on developing an appreciation for legal advocacy that empowers clients to make their decisions, particularly in cases where the risk of further violence is ever-present and the clients must weigh both their legal and non-legal options and consequences in order to enhance their own safety and that of their children.
Poverty Law and Practice Clinic - Clinic students are assigned to represent organizations, their members, and individual clients who seek assistance on issues of housing, work, and welfare. Organizational goals are pursued through community education and individual and group advocacy. Students learn to make their knowledge available to community organizations. In addition, students appear before administrative, legislative and judicial decision-makers on behalf of their clients.
Prisoners' Rights Clinic - Under the close supervision of two experienced practitioners, students develop and refine advocacy skills while representing prisoners in Massachusetts. Typically, each student handles both an adversarial proceeding (a disciplinary hearing) and a non-adversarial proceeding (parole-related or classification hearing) from beginning to end. Through this experience, students learn how to properly conduct client/witness interviews and thorough factual investigations, examine and cross-examine witnesses effectively and make persuasive opening and closing statements. Students also learn how to write winning administrative appeals. The clinic presents a survey of the constitutional law relating to the sentencing process and the rights of prisoners while incarcerated and on parole.
Public Health Clinic - In cooperation with the school's Public Health Advocacy Institute, this clinic covers tobacco control issues in depth, while also focusing on the emerging obesity epidemic and issues involving the gun and pharmaceutical industries. It considers the conflict between individual rights and the need to protect the public health. In the clinic, students gain real experience in public interest law, public health law, and the use of litigation to effect changes in public health policy. Student projects support the research and drafting needs of practicing PHAI attorneys. Clinical instructors supervise students, serving as writing coaches and mentors for the quarter-long project.
For information on clinical opportunities, go to: https://www.niu.edu/law/academics/experiential-learning/clinical/index.shtml
Constitutional Litigation Clinic: Students represent prisoners and ex-offenders in civil rights and other cases in both federal and state court. Student work under the supervision of attorneys at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center.
Indigent Defense Clinic: Students represent indigent criminal defendants in Hamilton County, Ohio, under the supervision of attorneys at the Ohio Justice & Policy Center. Students participate in all facets of criminal representation.
Kentucky Innocence Project: Students assist the Department of Public Advocacy in seeking justice for innocent prisoners.
Housing more than 20 clinics within 13 centers, the Bluhm Legal Clinic is widely recognized as one of the most comprehensive and effective clinical programs in the country.
The Children and Family Justice Center is a comprehensive children's law center where law students, under the supervision of attorneys and clinical professors, represent young people on matters of delinquency and crime, family violence, school discipline, health and disability, and immigration and asylum. CFJC collaborates with communities and child welfare, educational, mental health and juvenile justice systems to develop fair and effective policies and solutions for reform.
The Center for International Human Rights focuses on researching and addressing emerging human right norms and related issues as well as providing valuable clinical experiences for students interested in the protection of human rights on a global scale.
The Center on Wrongful Convictions is dedicated to identifying and rectifying wrongful convictions and other serious miscarriages of justice. Center faculty, staff, cooperating outside attorneys, and students investigate possible wrongful convictions and represent imprisoned clients with claims of actual innocence.
The Investor Protection Center provides assistance to investors with limited income or small dollar claims who are unable to obtain legal representation. Law students, under the supervision of faculty attorneys, represent customers in handling their disputes with broker-dealers.
The MacArthur Justice Center litigates issues of significance for the criminal justice system, including prisoner rights, the death penalty, and gun control. The Center has been deeply involved in litigation surrounding the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Other clinical offerings include:
Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth
Civil Litigation Center
Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center
Environmental Advocacy Center
For more information, go to the Bluhm Legal Clinic webpage at https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/
- Legal Aid Immigration Clinic
Students work exclusively on immigration cases.
- Legal Aid I & II (classroom & clinic component)
The Clinic introduces students to the substantive areas of law encountered in a poverty law clinic such as domestic violence and homelessness.
- Legal Aid Ethics
The Clinic focuses on ethical issues arising in a clinical setting.
Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law's clinics provide students with the opportunity to serve the community, while receiving in-depth, hands-on experience in a variety of fields. Current public interest opportunities include:
- In House Clinics:
- Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Clinic
- Children and Families Clinic
- Dispute Resolution Clinic
- Sharon and Mitchell W. Berger Entrepreneur
- Field Placement Clinics:
- Civil Field Placement Clinic
- Consumer Bankruptcy Clinic
- Consumer Protection Internship Clinic
- Criminal Justice Field Placement Clinic
- Judicial Field Placement
ONU Law offers two in-house clinics: The ONU Litigation Clinic and the ONU Transactional Clinic.
The ONU Litigation Clinic is a traditional "legal aid" type clinic, which provides necessary legal services to indigent members of the Allen and Hardin County communities. The clinic students represent clients in matters including domestic relations, juvenile custody, bankruptcy, administrative cases, expungements, housing, probate, and other types of civil cases. Additionally, through its community-engagement activities, the clinic assists between 10 and 50 participants each semester in a pro se divorces.
The ONU Transactional Clinic is supervised by the clinic staff, and provides legal assistance to non-profit organizations and churches from the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. The clinic assists local non-profit organizations in incorporating, as well as attaining non-profit status pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code, and assists non-profit organizations with a variety of legal issues including real estate transfers, incorporations, and risk management. Additionally, through its community-engagement activities, the clinic assists between 10 and 20 elderly clients each semester with estate planning and probate matters.
During the summer semester, ONU Law offers the ONU Summer Clinic, which combines the work of both the ONU Litigation Clinic and the ONU Transactional Clinic.
Every ONU Law student who wishes to work in a clinic is afforded the opportunity to do so.
The Clinical Programs at the Moritz College of Law provides an approach to clinical education that is distinctive among American law schools. Since 1935, the faculty at the college has recognized that problem solving, factual investigation, counseling, negotiation, and litigation skills are best learned by combining the actual practice of law, in which students take responsibility for their own cases, with an intensive academic experience in the classroom. Moritz typically conducts each of these clinics with a two-person faculty team. The teams both provide expertise in the theory and doctrine of a particular area of law and help students develop hands-on legal experience. Under the guidance and mentoring of this faculty team, law students get a taste of the satisfactions and challenges of a legal career.
The American Bar Association recognizes that clinical programs are an essential component of legal education. Our graduates realize that, too. When polled about the value of these practical classes, more than two-thirds of Moritz Law alumni recommended that all law students take at least one clinical course. Likewise, employers value the practical training clinic graduates bring with them to the practice of law.
Moritz Law students may begin taking clinical courses in their second year. In the Mediation Practicum, they serve as court-appointed mediators in pending cases, helping parties resolve cases ranging from back pay demanded by immigrant workers to child care disputes between divorcing parents. Another option for second-year students is the Legislation Clinic, in which they work with leaders of the Ohio General Assembly and other key legislative players, assisting them with research, analysis, and monitoring of the lawmaking process.
Third-year students who meet the Supreme Court of Ohio's internship requirements may enroll in courses that permit them to represent clients under the supervision of Moritz Law faculty, all licensed attorneys. Students may choose from among four litigation clinics: civil, criminal prosecution, criminal defense, and justice for children.
In recent years, students in these clinics have represented clients in both federal and state cases. Two of the cases in the Civil Clinic have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court, and clinic students have been crucial in preparing briefs and arguments. Another case involved a five-day jury trial in federal court, tried almost entirely by Moritz Law students.
In the Criminal Defense and Prosecution Clinics, students regularly appear in local courts in misdemeanor cases, learning how to prepare witnesses, negotiate plea bargains, and try criminal cases. Students in the Justice for Children Practicum not only represent minors in the local juvenile court, but have also filed state Supreme Court amicus curiae briefs addressing groundbreaking issues affecting children.
To learn more, visit https://moritzlaw.osu.edu/clinics/
Immigration Law Clinic—Housed in the offices of Catholic Charities, the clinic teaches basic lawyering skills such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and trial advocacy, as well as problem-solving, judgment, communication, and decision-making. Supervised by a clinical instructor, students assist in the representation of clients with a wide range of immigration issues, with political asylum issues a focus of the clinic.
Jodi G. Marquette American Indian Wills Clinic—Students work under the supervision of a licensed attorney and provide wills-drafting services to American Indians who own an interest in Indian land in Oklahoma. These services are provided free of charge, thanks to a generous anonymous donation of $250,000 to further the work of the Native American Legal Resource Center's Wills Services Project, which received its initial funding from the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. The program offers practical experience for students who, under supervision of a licensed attorney, provide needed legal services while receiving instruction and training in client relations, as well as the complex area of American Indian estate planning.
Oklahoma Innocence Clinic—Oklahoma City University School of Law has launched a fundraising and organizational effort to start an innocence clinic at the law school, with students working to identify and rectify convictions of innocent people in Oklahoma. The Clinic's anticipated start date is Fall 2011.
Haub Law’s extensive clinical opportunities include:
Immigration Justice Clinic
Barbara C. Salken Criminal Justice Clinic
Environmental Litigation Clinic
Investor Rights Clinic
Food and Beverage Law Clinic
Amelia A. Gould Representation in Mediation Clinic
Equal Justice America: Disability Rights/Health Law Clinic (Reopening January 2022)
Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic - Penn State Law’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (CIRC) is a nationally recognized in-house clinic focused on immigration. The CIRC provides law students with hands-on clinical training in immigration law through three pillars: community outreach and education, pro bono legal support, and policy work.
Civil Rights Appellate Clinic - The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic provides intensive training in appellate advocacy by involving students in noncriminal civil rights cases before the state appellate courts, federal courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Students conduct research, draft briefs, assist in case selection, develop substantive legal positions, and plan appellate strategy.
Family Law Clinic - Students in the Family Law Clinic represent victims of domestic abuse, and other individuals with family law disputes such as divorce and child custody. The work typically includes intensive counseling, case strategy, and negotiation, for which the students learn a client-centered approach to the practice of law.
Indigent Criminal Justice Practicum - The Indigent Criminal Justice Practicum provides students opportunities to work in the criminal justice system within two different tracks. The Trial Track involves representation of indigent criminal defendants accused of misdemeanor offenses in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. The Criminal Appellate/Post-Conviction Track involves representation of indigent defendants at appellate and post-conviction proceedings. This representation occurs at the trial and appellate court levels as well as at state prisons.
International Sustainable Developments Clinic – Law students collaborate with organizations (educational, nonprofit, for profit) to facilitate sustainable development projects abroad. The International Sustainable Development Projects Law Clinic provides students with the opportunity to build the legal skills necessary to bring sustainable new ventures to market in an international setting.
Rural Economic Development Clinic – The Rural Economic Development Clinic is committed to the complementary goals of training talented lawyers while encouraging sustainable rural economic development by representing clients in agricultural, food, and energy sectors. Students work with individuals and organizations to assist in providing tools for successful business operation.
Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic - The Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic represents veterans and current servicemembers. Students provide counseling services for veterans and Pennsylvania Offices of Veterans Affairs primarily concerning appeals of veterans’ disability, pension and education benefits claims. and State and Federal Policy. The Clinic also seeks to influence and/or develop state and federal legislation that affects veterans or servicemembers.
Students learn by experience in Penn State Law's legal clinics. Under the guidance of clinical faculty, second- and third-year students earn academic credit while engaging in all aspects of the legal process, from legislative advocacy to client representation. Corresponding skills training courses give students a knowledge base on which to build their professional experiences.
Center for Immigrants' Rights
Launched in 2008, the Center for Immigrants' Rights provides students with the opportunity to work on innovative advocacy and policy projects relating to U.S. immigration primarily through representation of immigration organizations.
Children's Advocacy Clinic
The Children's Advocacy Clinic (CAC) is an innovative multidisciplinary clinical setting in which law students and graduate social work students represent children in the legal system. The clinic provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training serving children and advocating for policy issues related to children in the welfare system.
Civil Rights Appellate Clinic
The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic provides intensive training in appellate advocacy by involving students in noncriminal civil rights cases before the state appellate courts, federal courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Disability Law Clinic
The Disability Law Clinic offers free legal services to people with disability-related problems such as Supplemental Security Income claims, handicap discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act claims, and special education problems.
Family Law Clinic
The Family Law Clinic is a free service providing legal help for people in central Pennsylvania who are having problems related to family matters. Qualified law students provide legal services under the supervision of law professors who are members of the Pennsylvania Bar.
International Sustainable Development Projects Clinic
Through this first-of-its-kind clinic, law students will collaborate in interdisciplinary teams brought together by Penn State's Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program, (HESE) to develop, design, and implement humanitarian projects in the developing world. The International Sustainable Development Projects (ISDP) Law Clinic provides students with the opportunity to build the legal skills necessary to bring sustainable new ventures to market in an International environment. Under the direction of Professor Jeff Erickson, students will learn how to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary setting and with in-country legal advisors.
Rural Economic Development Clinic
With one of the nation's largest rural populations, Pennsylvania's prosperity depends upon its rural communities. The Rural Economic Development Clinic is committed to the complementary goals of training talented lawyers while encouraging sustainable rural economic development by representing clients in agricultural, food, and energy law sectors.
Community Justice Clinic: The Community Justice Clinic provides diverse legal services to non-profits, nongovernmental organizations, and other community organizations who are working to promote justice and to develop opportunities and resources for vulnerable, underserved people and communities. Under faculty supervision, students will provide corporate counsel and services, including formation, governance and compliance
. Restoration and Justice Clinic: The Restoration and Justice Clinic provides legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other gender-based crimes. In collaboration with multidisciplinary professionals in Southern California students provide comprehensive litigation services for clients emerging from abusive, violent, and coercive relationships.
Legal Aid Clinic: The Legal Aid Clinic at the Union Rescue Mission students represent clients who are homeless on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Students provide pro bono legal services in a variety of civil matters, including family law, income tax, consumer law, benefit controversies and post-conviction reentry.
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic: The Pepperdine Low Income Taxpayer Clinic provides direct legal representation to low income taxpayers at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. Under attorney supervision, LITC students represent taxpayers in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service, including audits, appeals, collection matters, and federal tax litigation.
Faith and Family Mediation Clinic: The Faith and Family Mediation Clinic is open to students of all faiths or no faith. This clinic's practice is at the intersection of California family law, Jewish Religious law, mediation, and interfaith and intercultural work. Clinic faculty and students provide mediation services to families in civil and religious courts.
Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic: In the Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic students represent indigent clients as court-appointed counsel in briefing and arguing appeals before the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Students evaluate strategy and legal issues, research intensively, write and submit appellate briefs and present oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mediation Clinic: In the Mediation Clinic students have the opportunity to mediate various types of cases including landlord/tenant, employment and merchant/consumer cases. This clinic offers students the opportunity to actually apply mediation theory in context and to enhance their mediation skills by serving as the mediator in numerous small claims court cases and other referred disputes.
Fair Employment and Housing Mediation Clinic: In the Employment Mediation Clinic, students work directly with Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) senior attorney-mediators serving as clinical faculty at the Straus Institute. Students enrolled in the program will prepare DFEH cases for mediation under the Fair Employment and Housing Act.
For more information about Pepperdine Caruso Law’s clinics, visit: https://law.pepperdine.edu/experiential-learning/clinical-education/clinics/
Civil Clinic – Students in the in-house Civil Clinic provide free legal services to low- and moderate-income clients in a variety of subject matters. Cases include consumer and foreclosure matters, family disputes, landlord/tenant cases, will contests, immigration, and education cases. The clinic provides services at the administrative, trial, and appellate levels. Students have also conducted outreach sessions in the community, and have handled disciplinary matters against lawyers who have been grieved.
Defense Appellate Clinic – Students in the two-semester Defense Appellate Clinic represent on appeal indigent persons who have been convicted of crimes. They work under the supervision of an attorney/visiting clinical instructor from the state's Office of the Public Defender.
Health Law Clinic – The Health Law Clinic provides free legal services to persons with legal problems related to their health status or condition. Most clients have a disability, and many are seeking government benefits. Some cases involve litigation to establish the rights of clients, such as due process rights in conservatorship cases. The Clinic has handled cases at all levels, including administrative hearings, trial and appeals.
Prosecution Appellate Clinic – Students in this year-long program represent the state in criminal appeals. They work under the supervisison of an attorney/visiting clinical instructor from the Appellate Bureau of the Chief State's Attorney's Office.
Tax Clinic – The Tax Clinic provides free legal services to low-income taxpayers. The Clinic also engages in outreach and tax education in the community, particularly for those for whom English is not their first language. Tax controversy cases include innocent spouse matters, offers in compormise, earned income credit cases, and other disputes with the IRS. The Clinic handles matters at both the administrative and court levels.
Litigation Clinic – The Litigation Clinic involves consumer issues, domestic relations, and administrative matters. Student-clinicians have direct responsibility for managing cases from initial interviews to conclusion of representation.
RWU Law has a Criminal Defense Clinic and an Immigration Clinic.
Child Advocacy Clinic
Community Law Clinic
Constitutional Litigation Clinic
Environmental Law Clinic
Federal Tax Law Clinic
Special Education Clinic
Urban Legal Clinic
Through the clinics, law students learn essential lawyering skills while assuming and growing into the role of lawyer. Their responsibilities include handling all aspects of their clients’ cases such as trials and evidentiary hearings, significant appellate arguments and briefs, business transactions, legislative and administrative testimony and comments, and complex mediations, negotiations, and counseling sessions. Rutgers Law clinics promote professional judgment, collaboration, and a sense of professional identity and responsibility among students who participate. Clinic students practicing in a wide range of subject areas also learn the positive difference that well-trained members of the legal profession can make in their clients’ lives. https://law.rutgers.edu/list-rutgers-law-school-clinical-programs
Established in 1993, the Clinical Program at St. John's School of Law furthers our mission of providing students with practical, experiential learning opportunities while ensuring that underserved, low-income New York City residents have access to vital legal services. In meeting the needs of the underrepresented and disenfranchised in our community, the Law School clinics honor and foster St. John's Vincentian tradition.
The Law School offers the following clinics. Three are in-house clinics offered through our not-for-profit legal services organization, the St. Vincent de Paul Legal Program, Inc. Operating out of the Law School's state-of-the art Clinical Office, they are the:
- Child Advocacy Clinic
- Consumer Justice for the Elderly: Litigation Clinic
- Securities Arbitration Clinic
The other seven are partner clinics offered in collaboration with legal services organizations and Catholic charities, as well as the Queens County District Attorney's Office and Bronx County District Attorney's Office. They are the:
- Bankruptcy Advocacy Clinic
- Bread and Life Immigration Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Domestic Violence Litigation Clinic
- Economic Justice Clinic
- Prosecution Clinic
- Refugee and Immigrant Rights Litigation Clinic
Through their hands-on work in the clinics, students go beyond the legal theory and case analysis learned in the classroom to experience the practice of law in real-world contexts. Supervised by an exceptional clinical faculty of seasoned educators and practitioners, students hone their lawyering skills and professionalism while representing clients. They conduct interviews, counsel clients, investigate facts, research law, plan case strategy, draft pleadings, appear in court and other forums, and negotiate settlements.
Battered Women's Clemency Project - Students assist women seeking clemency for killing abusers
Criminal Defense Clinic - Students represent indigent criminal defendants while working in the St. Louis City Public Defender's Office during their spring semester. Students assist on felony cases, and under student practice rules, are able to handle misdemeanor trials, juvenile hearings and preliminary hearings and motions. Students in this Clinic enroll in the Advanced Criminal Procedure course that uses simulations to give students the experience of the entire trial process from arrest to sentencing.
Family Law Clinic – The Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry, located in the Clinic offices, provides students with the opportunity to handle a full range of family law cases. Students serve as Guardians ad Litem for abused and neglected children and represent battered women with orders of protection and divorces. They represent clients in custody and paternity cases and provide assistance to incarcerated women.
Health Law Clinic – Students draft estate planning documents for mentally ill and the elderly and assist families with Medicaid, Medicare, and SSI issues.
Homelessness Clinic – Students go into homeless shelters to interview clients about a variety of legal needs, then provide representation when necessary. Cases include public benefits applications, family law matters and minor criminal charges that can prevent the homeless from obtaining housing or jobs.
Housing and Development Law Clinic – Students handle legal work for Habitat for Humanity and other non-profit housing developers. They serve as coordinators for housing development projects. They draft leases, contracts, deeds and financial documents, then conduct real estate closings for the non-profit developers.
Immigration Law Clinic – Students assist immigrants with citizenship papers
Mediation Clinic– Mediators facilitate negotiations between parties in an effort to reach a settlement without the need of a trial. Students are trained in mediation skills and then mediate landlord-tenant disputes. Most cases handled by the students are resolved with an agreement by the parties.
Civil Justice Clinic
Criminal Justice Clinic
Immigration and Human Rights Clinic
St. Thomas Law's clinics include:
Appellate Litigation Clinic
Bankruptcy Clinic
Family Court Clinic
Immigration Clinic
Tax Clinic
Senior Citizen's Legal Clinic – Law students assist attorneys draft wills and practice estate planning for low-income senior citizens in the community.
Lovelady Center Legal Clinic – Law students assist attorneys represent residents of the Lovelady Center, a local drug rehabilitation center and halfway house for recently released female inmates, in family law and domestic relations cases as well as minor criminal matters.
HELP - The Birmingham HELP program operates weekly legal clinics for the homeless at the Old Firehouse and First Light shelters. Many of the requests received by volunteers are simple to handle, such as the need for a birth certificate or drivers license, help with applying for benefits or appealing the denial of benefits, or clearing up minor criminal matters that are preventing the individual from getting housing or applying for a job. Two or three attorneys staff each clinic each week, assisted by volunteer law students from Cumberland. In addition to providing assistance onsite, law students provide legal research for the volunteer attorneys on issues that cannot be resolved during the two hour clinic.
Project Homeless Connect – Law students conduct intake interviews for the area's homeless and then pair the client with a local attorney.
Santa Clara Law students may participate in five clinical programs. In each clinic, students provide representation to actual clients in real cases, under the supervision of experienced lawyer/professors. The work students do in these clinics include:
- Obtaining exonerations for wrongfully convicted individuals and promoting a just and compassionate criminal justice system, through the Northern California Innocence Project. For more information, visit http://ncip.org
- Representing individuals seeking review of removal orders before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in the Immigration Appellate Practice Clinic. For more information, visits https://law.scu.edu/experiential/clinics-during-covid/santa-clara-laws-immigration-appellate-clinic-uses-hearts-minds-and-computers-to-serve-clients-during-the-pandemic
- Litigating human rights issues and representing victims of human rights violations both domestically and internationally, through the International Human Rights Clinic. For more information, visit https://law.scu.edu/ihrc/
- Providing important legal services in the areas of immigration, consumer protection and workers' rights, through the Katherine and George Alexander Community Law Center. For more information, visit https://law.scu.edu/kgaclc
- Promoting local community economic growth through representing the local start-up community through the Entrepreneurs Law Clinic. For more information, visit https:/law.scu.edu/elc
Administrative Law Clinic - Students assist Medicaid recipients who have been denied medical benefits. Students represent these clients in administrative fair hearings to contest the denial of benefits.
Arts Legal Clinic - Students provide advice and assistance to low income artists with legal issues related to their artistic creations or profession.
Bankruptcy Clinic
Civil Practice Clinic
Immigration Clinic - Students represent immigrant women who are petitioning to remain in this country under the provisions of the Violence Against Women Act [VAWA].
International Human Rights Clinic - Students represent foreign and domestic clients with human rights claims in federal and state courts as well as international and regional tribunals.
Non-Profit Organizations Clinic - Students represent groups who wish to form non-profit organizations to serve the community. Students assist these groups through incorporating the organization and filing necessary paperwork to seek tax exempt status for the organization.
Professional Responsibility Clinic
Trusts & Estates Clinic - Students provide estate planning services [wills, powers of attorney, living wills and Medicaid planning] to low income elderly and disabled individuals, including persons with HIV/AIDS. Students may also represent individuals suffering from chronic mental illness in preparing health care advanced directives.
Youth Advocacy Clinic - Students represent juveniles charged with criminal offenses and parents seeking appropriate educational services for their children.
Civil Litigation Clinic – Students in the Civil Litigation Clinic represent indigent clients through all phases of the civil litigation process in matters involving consumer fraud, civil rights, fair housing and other issues. Under the supervision of skilled and experienced law professors, students in the Clinic interview and counsel actual clients; draft pleadings, motions and briefs; appear before judges in federal and state court; argue motions, conduct depositions, hearings and trials; and engage in settlement negotiations and arbitration hearings.
Family Law Clinic – Students in the Family Law Clinic represent impoverished clients in divorce, support, custody and domestic violence cases. Students have also been appointed to represent children in contested custody cases. Students interview clients, analyze statutes, develop legal theory, prepare pleadings, write briefs, argue motions, and appear at trial, all with highly individualized supervision from experienced attorneys. As family law is a readily developing area, students often have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge issues, as they gain critical litigation skills.
Housing and Homelessness Clinic – Students in the Housing and Homelessness Clinic provide comprehensive legal assistance to impoverished clients who are homeless, in danger of becoming homeless, or living in seriously substandard conditions. Students work with clients both to resolve their housing emergency (by appearing, for example, at landlord-tenant court) and to assist with the broader situation that led to the housing crisis. Many of the cases handled by this Clinic are fast-moving, providing students the opportunity in a single semester to interview clients; analyze factual and legal arguments; conduct settlement negotiations; and represent clients in court and administrative hearings.
Immigration and Human Right Clinic– Students in the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic represent indigent clients who have fled human rights abuses in their native countries and seek political asylum in the United States. Students develop and present cases at all levels ranging from affirmative applications before immigration officers to court hearings in front of immigration judges to appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals or the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to political asylum cases, clinic students have filed habeas corpus petitions in federal district court in cases involving constitutional challenges to the INS' detention policies.
Impact Litigation Clinic – Students in the Impact Litigation Clinic represent indigent clients on a wide range of cutting-edge cases that further social justice. Students in the clinic receive careful, in-depth instruction while researching and writing briefs on complex and novel legal issues. Cases are often in the appellate arena, or may involve amicus curiae briefs or innovative trial court proceedings. The Clinic is directed toward students who desire intensive training in advanced legal writing and analysis so that they can learn to produce comprehensively researched, tightly organized, well-written and persuasive legal briefs.
Juvenile Justice Clinic – The Juvenile Justice Clinic students gain litigation experience representing clients under the age of eighteen who have been charged with a juvenile offense or crime. Students interact with parents, social service agencies and school officials to gather information before representing the clients in court at detention hearings, trials, pleas and depositions. The classroom portion of the Clinic provides students with grounding in basic trial skills and rules of the court before progressing to more formal training, such as mock trials and motions to suppress evidence.
General Civil Clinic - Represents low-income clients in social security disability, family law, and probate and guardianships. Students interview clients, perform needed fact investigation and legal research, draft and file any necessary documents, perform pre-hearing preparation of cases, develop case and hearing strategies, conduct actual client representation at administrative hearings, and attend state district court hearings with staff attorneys. Students enroll for three or four semester hours credit and perform a minimum of 150 to 200 hours of service.
Mediation Clinic - Students serve as third party neutrals in a variety of settings, primarily where one or more of the parties are indigent and have a pending civil dispute. Currently the clinic's focus is on child support litigation and on-line parenting.
Civil Practice Clinic
Domestic Violence Clinic
Juvenile Justice Clinic
Veterans Legal Assistance Program Clinic
Beginning in 1947, the Clinical Program at SMU Dedman School of Law was among the country’s first to sponsor a community legal clinic. Today, it remains a national model of excellence. Dedman Law’s clinical program has evolved to reflect changing perspectives in legal education and innovation in legal practice. All the while, Dedman Law remains committed to the ideals that have shaped it from the beginning: public service, professional responsibility, and outstanding skills training.
The program encompasses 10 specialized clinics and projects where, under the supervision of clinic directors, our students serve as advocates on behalf of the community in many areas of the law. Dedman Law’s clinical education program is central to our mission of providing outstanding legal education and public service, along with developing professional responsibility.
Civil Clinic
Consumer Advocacy Project
Justice Clinic
Federal Taxpayers Clinic
Judge Elmo B. Hunter Legal Center for Victims of Crimes Against Women
Innocence Clinic
Patent Law Clinic
Small Business and Trademark Clinic
VanSickle Family Law Clinic
W. W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic
Learn more here.
Appellate Litigation Clinic: Students work with a professor in litigating a pro bono appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, up to and including oral argument before the court.
Children’s Rights Clinic: Students represent low-income children in school discipline proceedings or children with disabilities in special education proceedings, and work with community groups to advocate for better and more equitable educational opportunities.
Community Lawyering Clinic: In this unique collaboration between Southwestern Law School and California State University, Northridge (CSUN), Southwestern law students represent CSUN students in a variety of immigration cases and staff the on-campus CSUN Student Legal Clinic. In addition to client representation, law students also conduct legal community outreach and policy advocacy for the CSUN student community.
Family Law Clinic: The Family Law Clinic is a community-based clinic in partnership with the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law. Students help protect victims of domestic violence, improve the well-being of children in poverty, empower people in need, and ensure meaningful access to the Family Law courts.
Immigration Law Clinic: Students represent children and adults in immigration matters such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Violence Against Women Act, and U-Visa cases where clients have been abused, neglected or abandoned, or have been victims of a crime.
Street Law Clinic: Students teach law-related critical life skills to high school students, most of whom are involved in the dependency or juvenile justice system. Clinic students step into the roles of teacher, mentor, and advocate to inform teenagers about their rights and provide legal information and resources they need to successfully transition to independent living
Youth Offender Parole Hearing Clinic: Students represent a client in a Youth Offender Parole Hearing. Youth Offender Parole Hearings (YOPH) are specialized parole hearings for people who were convicted of serious offenses when they were juveniles or young adults (under the age of 23). Students in the Clinic develop practical research, writing, and oral advocacy skills while learning more about the substantive areas of criminal sentencing, juvenile justice, and post- conviction law.
Stanford Law School offers a rich array of in-house clinical courses, taking advantage of the opportunities such clinics afford to merge academic instruction and practical training.
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Stanford Community Law Clinic
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Immigrants' Rights Clinic
- International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic.
- Juelsgaard Intellectual Property and Innovation Clinic
- Organizations and Transactions Clinic
- Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
- Youth and Education Law Clinic
Stetson has opportunities with the following clinics:
Immigration Law Clinic
Local Government Clinic
Prosecution Clinic
Public Defender Clinic
Tampa Prosecution Clinic
Veterans Advocacy Clinic
The only Clinic we have on campus is the Veterans’ Law Institute Clinic. The others send students out to area offices.
Child Advocacy Clinic
Educational Advocacy
Evening Landlord-Tenant Clinic
Family Clinic
Housing & Consumer Protection
Immigration
Juvenile Defender Clinic
Suffolk Defenders
Suffolk Prosecutors
Our Clinical Legal Education program offers diverse and sophisticated practice opportunities to upper-class and LL.M. students working closely with skilled supervising attorneys. Our clinical offerings involve cutting-edge issues and complex matters in which creativity and innovation play key roles in serving clients effectively. Our clinics empower you to be successful.
Affordable Housing Clinic
This clinic works with developers to create high-quality housing for low-income families, the elderly, targets of domestic violence and persons with disabilities. In the more than two decades since it was launched, the clinic has leveraged nearly $165 million in public and private funds to create close to 2,000 units of affordable housing in Western New York.
Contacts:
George M. Hezel Director
Consumer and Financial Advocacy Clinic
In SUNY Buffalo Law's newest clinic, students provide limited-scope legal advice to unrepresented consumer debtor-defendants. Students leave with litigation and other consumer advocacy experience helping real people facing heartbreaking financial issues.
Contact:
Lauren Breen, Director
Environmental Policy Clinic
The Environmental Policy Clinic works with non-profit environmental groups to protect the environmental and ecological resources of the Great Lakes basin. Clinic students gain practical legal experience in environmental advocacy, client representation and community-based conservation.
Contacts:
Law and Social Work Clinic
Through this clinic, students in SUNY Buffalo Law School's dual program in Law and Social Work gain experience in legal service agencies, social service agencies, prosecutor offices, or therapeutic courts such as drug and domestic violence courts.
Contact:
Melinda R. Saran, Director
Mediation Clinic
The increasingly vital craft of conflict resolution is the focus of the Law School's Mediation Clinic. Working on cases referred by local courts or other mediation agencies, students help resolve disputes in family law, small claims and the community.
Contact:
Steven Sugarman, Director
William and Mary Foster Elder Law Clinic
The Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic is committed to preventing domestic violence and promoting the legal rights of targets of domestic violence, including women, children, the elderly and same-sex partners. The clinic seeks justice and provides legal resources for people on the margins of our society from Western New York to international venues.
Contact:
Anthony H. Szczygiel, Director
Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic
Students and faculty of the clinic seek justice and provide legal resources for people on the margins of our society, including the homeless, the impoverished and economically disadvantaged, immigrants, and the disabled. Students and faculty of the clinic seek justice and provide legal resources for people on the margins of our society, including the homeless, the impoverished and economically disadvantaged, immigrants, and the disabled.
Contacts:
Learn more about the Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic
Practicums
Students may enroll in a practicum course, in which they combine study of a substantive area under a full-time professor with service learning alongside practicing lawyers. These courses include the Criminal Law Practicum, Healthy Homes Practicum and Post-Incarceration Re-entry Practicum, all of which give students direct experience with clients through expert attorneys.
Currently Available Practicums
Healthy Homes Legal Practicum. Students advocate for safer living conditions in the City of Buffalo. Their work ranges from research to drafting proposed ordinances to working on Housing Court cases, on behalf of citizens at risk from such dangers as lead, asbestos and mold, typically in rented apartments. The practicum also provides legal support to the National Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, which has chosen Buffalo as one of 17 pilot cities for its work in promoting safer housing.
Criminal Law Practicum. Students will spend about 10 hours a week observing and assisting practitioners who represent indigent defendants as assigned counsel in county, state and federal courts. Course requirements include assigned reading, weekly journaling to reflect on the students' experiences in practice, and an end-of-semester white paper on a legal topic that grows from their work. These papers are published on the Law School's Web site, making them available to practicing attorneys and scholars worldwide, and also demonstrating the students' analytical and legal writing skills.
The Office of Clinical Legal Education operates two programs: an on-campus law office representing low income individuals, not-for-profits, and small businesses; and an externship program, which places students in the community to work with government and public interest attorneys and with judges. Students receive academic credit for both of these programs, with opportunities available for 2nd and 3rd year students.
In academic year 2008-09, clinical opportunities are available in the following areas: Children's Rights and Family Law, Community Development, Criminal Defense, Disability Rights, Elder Law, Low-Income Taxpayer, and Securities Arbitration and Consumer Law. For more information on the SUCOL clinics: http://law.syr.edu/academics/clinical-experiential/clinical-legal-education
Death Penalty Litigation - This clinical program offers students the unique opportunity to study capital punishment and to participate in various stages of the defense of capital cases. Students help develop factual data and legal arguments to support state post-conviction or federal habeas corpus challenges to capital convictions and sentences, as well as help prepare petitions for certiorari to the United States Supreme Court and motions for stays of executions. Students are placed with lawyers actively engaged in death penalty litigation and/or developing systemic challenges to Pennsylvania's capital punishment statute.
Death Penalty Litigation offers a program that integrates long-term and immediate litigation needs, with special emphasis on research and writing. Although the course supervising attorneys may be called upon to orally argue positions developed from the research provided by the clinical students, the clinical experience will be primarily one of drafting and briefing.
Students will be provided with a practical, substantive, and procedural context in which death penalty cases are litigated in both trial and appellate courts. The program will enable students to evaluate a file--factually and legally--plan and undertake a research assignment, and assimilate that research into a current statutory or constitutional challenge.
Elderly Law Project - This clinic offers students the opportunity to study a variety of statutes which particularly affect senior citizens and to represent clients of the Elderly Law Project. Students may represent clients before an administrative agency in matters involving the application of the Social Security Act and regulations which control social security, supplemental security income (SSI), social security disability, Medicare, and Medicaid. Students also prepare legal documents such as wills, living wills, and durable powers of attorney. They will advise clients about consumer problems, landlord/tenant matters, financial planning, long-term care, protective services, and guardianship. Preparation for each case begins with the "initial intake" and ends with representation which may take the form of a hearing, informal negotiation, or the preparation of a legal document.
Legal Advocacy for Patients - Operating as a small law firm, this clinical course focuses on the legal representation of clients dealing with the impact of serious medical diagnoses. Although many of our client's diagnoses have been cancer or HIV/AIDS, we have recently expanded our client base to include others with physical disabilities. Typical areas of representation include but are not limited to public benefits, medical insurance, life planning, etc. Our goal is to provide quality legal services to poor people with medical issues or disabilities in North Philadelphia. Students will be will be directly responsible for the legal representation of clients at all stages of their cases. In addition to applying general research, writing, and accumulated legal knowledge to real clients' cases, students will learn the following: How to effectively and professionally interact with clients; How to develop a shared definition of problems with clients and how to identify which problems have practical legal solutions; How to analyze typical problems of our client base, and how to research and analyze problems that are not ones with which students are currently competent; How to represent clients before administrative law judges and other administrative officers.
The bulk of our direct representation is in administrative hearings for SSI cases before administrative law judges. While every effort is made to provide each student with the opportunity to handle at least one hearing, this will depend on the status of the individual cases.
Although most of the work is direct client advocacy, students will also be expected to do community outreach. You may also look at legislation as it effects our clients, and consider what advocacy steps a lawyer might take to affect legislation to help our clients.
Representing Charitable Organizations - Working with the Law School's Center for Community Nonprofit Organizations, students provide general legal representation to nonprofit organizations working to improve the physical, social, and economic environments of Philadelphia area low-income communities. Students deal with a wide array of transactional legal matters including: choice of entity, incorporation, governing documents, application for tax exempt status, leases, contracts, application for exemption from real estate and sales tax, and employment and corporate counseling, and general real estate development assistance.
Duties will include interviewing clients, counseling clients concerning choice of entity, drafting documents, legal research, education of clients and community members concerning the nature of nonprofit corporations, the roles and responsibilities of board members, tax filings under §501(C)(3), and other community development topics.
Ideally, each intern will complete the interview, incorporation, bylaws, and application for tax exemption for a client during the semester.
Temple Legal Aid Office Family Law - The substantive area of law is primarily domestic relations,(e.g. child custody, support, paternity, adoptions). Classroom discussions emphasize professional responsibility in the everyday practice of law as well as the procedural aspects of family law practice in Philadelphia. Interns are encouraged to develop the habit of reflecting on the preparations and execution of significant events in the life of a case as a means of ongoing growth as a practitioner.
Interns will conduct initial consultation interviews with prospective clients and prepare an Intake Memorandum for the case file with a recommendation on acceptance of the matter by TLAO. The Intake Memo and recommendation will be discussed with the Supervising Attorney before a decision to accept a case is made. Interns will identify the legal issues relevant to the case and conduct research as appropriate to support a recommendation for TLAO action on the case. Typically, there is opportunity for negotiation with opposing counsel, drafting correspondence and pleadings, as well as representing clients in court proceedings. Each intern is expected to take primary responsibility for cases assigned during the semester, although the Supervising Attorney is professionally responsible as the Attorney of Record for each client. Interns are expected to attend any court appearance scheduled for an assigned case and cannot leave the court until the conclusion of the matter even if it extends beyond the normal scheduled time for the clinical.
Temple Legal Aid Office: Domestic Relations Mediation - This clinical offers students an opportunity to be trained in mediation skills and to obtain experience conducting mediation sessions with actual disputants referred by the Family Court. Students will assist disputants explore and develop their own options to resolve disputes rather than resort to litigation. Duties include explaining the goals and rules of mediation, interviewing the clients in the context of the mediation sessions and drafting the memorandum of agreement for the disputants at the conclusion of the mediation session as may be needed. The focus of the clinical will be to introduce students to an alternative method of resolving disputes as applied in the domestic relations context.
Law Clinic - Specializing in family law and social security disability
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic began operation in September of 2000 and is offered as a full year graded course (5 credit hours each semester – 2 for classroom component and 3 for casework), as well as a 4 credit hour graded course during the summer sessions (students must enroll for both summer sessions). The clinic enrolls 8 to 10 advanced students each semester by application and invitation only. The tax clinic is funded by a matching grant from the Internal Revenue Service, and it provides legal help to taxpayers with incomes equal to or less than 250% of the federal poverty level in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service.
The Clinic does not prepare returns or handle normal audit situations. However, the clinic students will provide assistance in all areas involving collection disputes, including, but not limited to: levy and seizure action, summonses, innocent spouse applications, offers in compromise, payment agreements, lien releases, and trust fund recovery penalties as well as, representation in cases before the United States Tax Court. Students develop important lawyering skills by interviewing and counseling clients, conducting factual investigations, legal research and analysis, negotiating compromises, drafting documents and litigating.
Civil Practice Clinic
The Civil Practice Clinic is a full year graded clinical course (six credit hours each semester – 2 for classroom component and 4 for case work) limited to third year law students who are given responsibility to represent actual clients with their legal problems. Students represent clients in a range of substantive areas including family law, public benefits, civil rights, consumer, housing, and estate planning. To the extent possible, the caseload reflects areas of interest to participating students.
Students handle cases from beginning to end, taking full responsibility for client cases and learn lawyering skills at both the practical and theoretical level through individualized instruction in the lawyering process in a closely supervised setting while also providing legal services to low-income clients in the community who would otherwise lack access to legal services. In order to provide a quality educational experience for students, the Civil Clinic undertakes a limited number of cases, selected in close consultation with and through referral from Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. With a small caseload, students have the opportunity to thoroughly investigate and prepare client matters entrusted to them and make independent judgments in a supervised clinical setting while reflecting on the strategic decisions they make and advocacy skills utilized that will promote their future development as a highly effective and ethical professional.
Within the Civil Practice Clinic, students are given direct responsibility for handling all phases of client representation which may include interviewing and counseling clients, investigating facts, developing case strategy, negotiating with parties and counsel, drafting pleadings and legal documents, and representing clients in court and before administrative agencies. The Civil Practice Clinic was initiated in the fall semester of 2001. A maximum of 8 students are selected for the Civil Practice Clinic each year.
Criminal Defense Clinic
The Criminal Defense Clinic is a full year graded clinical course (six credit hours each semester – 2 for classroom component and 4 for case work) limited to third year law students. The Criminal Defense Clinic accepts court appointments to represent defendants in criminal cases who would otherwise be unable to afford their own legal representation. Cases involve misdemeanors, felonies, and juvenile offenses in Lubbock County and the surrounding metropolitan area. Students are closely supervised at all stages of their cases by Professor Patrick S. Metze. The clinic also works closely with members of the local and state bars to expose students to professional development, networking, and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) opportunities while still in law school.
By the end of the course, each student will have represented 6-8 clients. Students are fully responsible for their cases, from intake through disposition. The classroom component of the clinic focuses on skills development, ethics, and case strategy related to criminal law. Students also have the opportunity to hone their writing skills by drafting motions and appellate briefs.
Caprock Regional Public Defender Clinic
This is a full-year 12 credit hours (6 per semester - 2 for class room component and 4 for case work) course limited to a maximum of 12 students. Students accepted into the clinic must be registered for both Fall and Spring semesters. The CRPDO provides a community service by representing defendants in criminal cases who would otherwise be unable to afford their own legal representation. Cases involve misdemeanor and juvenile offenses in a 14 county region. Students are closely supervised by Donnie Yandell, Chief Public Defender, and Charlie Pelowski, Assistant Public Defender.
By the end of the course, each student will have represented up to eight clients. Students are fully responsible for their cases, from intake through disposition. The classroom component of the clinic focuses on skills development, ethics, and case strategy related to criminal law and is taught by Professor Patrick S. Metze. Students also have the opportunity to hone their writing skills by drafting motions.
Capital Punishment Clinic
The Capital Punishment Clinic is offered as a one semester graded course during the Spring semester. Participants earn four credit hours. Participants are limited to third year law students and a maximum of 4 students are selected for this clinic. The Capital Punishment Clinic provides a community service by giving the student the opportunity to assist in the representation of defendants charged with capital murder. Upon application, four students will be invited to participate to work with the West Texas Public Defenders Office for Capital Cases located in Lubbock. This is the first Public Defenders Office of its type in Texas and is the prototype for representation of those accused of capital crimes. The students will work with the attorneys, mitigators, investigators and other professionals in helping to represent those facing the death penalty using cutting edge techniques and applying their legal education to a wide variety of activities including investigation, interviewing clients and witnesses, legal research, legal writing, restorative justice, criminal procedure and substantive criminal law.
The classroom component will continue the student's study of capital punishment jurisprudence focusing on skills development, ethics, and case strategy in real on-going capital cases. This clinic requires a significant commitment of time which will return a unique, experiential opportunity for third year students as they approach the end of their legal education.
Advanced ADR Clinic
The Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) clinic provides instruction to students which qualifies as the 40 hour basic mediation training course in Texas. Through classroom instruction and simulations, students will examine the issues, principles and skills necessary to the use of mediation as a method of conflict resolution. Each student will have the opportunity to observe and mediate actual disputes through the Lubbock County Office of Dispute Resolution.
The Advanced ADR Clinic is a one-semester, three credit hour graded clinical course limited to 18 students
Family Law and Housing Clinic
This is a full-year 12 credit hours (6 per semester - 2 for class room component and 4 for case work) course limited to 8 students. Students accepted into the clinic must be registered for both Fall and Spring semesters. Students assume primary responsibility under faculty supervision of all phases of representation in assigned cases in a variety of civil matters including, but not limited to, family law and housing matters. The course focuses on the development of professional skills and values in a closely supervised clinical setting, including interviewing and counseling, case analysis and planning, problem solving, fact investigation, negotiation and mediation, document drafting, written and oral advocacy.
Classroom component will provide instruction in substantive and procedural law applicable to cases handled by the Clinic as well as ethical issues and professional values; professional skill development; and case rounds. The Family Law and Housing Clinic was initiated in the fall semester of 2012. A maximum of 8 students are selected for the Family law and Housing Clinic each year.
Cooley believes students immersed in a dynamic, hands on learning environment study and understand the law more fully and are better prepared to serve their clients. Cooley requires each student to complete an intense clinical or externship experience. The requirement can be met by participating in an in-house legal clinic or at an approved off campus externship site.
Students may apply for clinic courses once they have accumulated 40 credit hours.
The Cooley Innocence Project is an in-house clinic operating under the Michigan enacted DNA statute. The DNA statute provides post-conviction remedy for those wrongfully convicted incarcerated persons who are innocent of the charged offense and whose innocence can be established by DNA testing of the biological evidence collected at the time of the offense. Operating under the statute, the Innocence Project’s dual mission is to identify, provide legal assistance to, and secure the release of persons who are wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not commit and to provide its students with an excellent learning experience. The clinic recently entered into groundbreaking partnerships with county and state-wide conviction integrity units. It is the only such law school clinic in the state of Michigan. Its funding is provided by the law school, as well as federal grants supporting partnerships with area agencies.
The Sixty-Plus, Inc., Elderlaw Clinic (Sixty Plus) is an in-house, live-client clinic serving the indigent and near-indigent clients sixty and older with the preparation of wills, durable power of attorney for finance, medical health directives/designation of patient advocate, and enhanced life estate deeds. Additionally, students in the clinic act as visitors for local probate courts and complete periodic guardianship review reports. Sixty Plus also provides community education on estate planning issues to seniors in the local Area. Its funding is provided by the law school.
In the Washtenaw County Public Defenders Clinic students work with assistant public defenders on a variety of criminal cases (misdemeanors and felonies) in the Washtenaw County District and Circuit Courts and juvenile cases (delinquency, abuse, and neglect) in the Washtenaw County Probate Court, and participate in eight Wednesday evening seminar meetings with the faculty supervisor. Its funding is provided by the law school.
The Debt Relief Clinic (the “Clinic”) is an in-house, live-client, evening clinical program. Students, under the direct supervision of the Clinic Director/Florida licensed attorney, develop lawyering skills and gain substantive legal knowledge by representing indigent clients in the Tampa Bay area primarily in bankruptcy and other potential consumer related civil matters. Pursuant to the local U.S. Bankruptcy Court Rules, students are provided an invaluable opportunity to practice before the Court under the direct supervision of the Clinic Director/Attorney. Moreover, the condensed time frame of Chapter 7 proceedings allows students to conceivably handle a case from the initial client interview and ongoing counseling to filing the bankruptcy action, appearing at judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings, and monitoring the case to the final discharge order. The Clinic also provides community education on debt relief issues to residents in the Tampa Bay Area. The Clinic's funding is provided by the law school.
Civil Rights Litigation I & II – Civil Rights Litigation Clinic offers hands-on experience litigating civil rights claims in both state and federal courts. Since 1989, this clinic has been a leading force in the movement to provide protection and advocacy for those who have been diagnosed as mentally ill. The clinic represents current and former residents of psychiatric facilities, enforcing significant constitutional and statutory rights, in areas such as forced treatment, abuse and neglect, unlawful confinement, civil commitment, and discharge planning. Many of the clinic's cases are on the cutting edge of the law, setting new standards for patients' rights and requiring the application of broader civil rights laws.
Students are introduced to the complexities of civil rights law and litigation by protecting and advancing the rights of the mentally ill and the disabled. Learning from faculty with nationally recognized expertise in mental health law gives students solid training in litigation strategies and techniques, as well as the creative dimension of expanding the law.
A minimum of ten (10) hours of clinical work is required, in addition to a weekly seminar that concentrates on developing the skills needed in civil rights litigation. Through simulations and mock exercises the seminar prepares students for the tasks they will undertake on behalf of clients.
Criminal Law Clinic – Students in the Criminal Law Clinic work approximately twelve (12) to fifteen (15) hours per week at a District Attorney's or Public Defender's Office in the New York City metropolitan area, under the supervision of the clinic's director and an attorney at the placement.
While observing the workings of the criminal justice system first-hand, students participate in all phases of criminal prosecution or defense. They attend arraignments; assist with bail motions and hearings; interview clients and witnesses; examine evidence, including crime scenes; conduct legal research and draft briefs and other legal documents; and attend pre-trial proceedings, trials, and sentencing hearings.
Discussions in the weekly three-hour seminar are based upon readings, simulations, and students' experiences at their placements, with particular scrutiny of the political, social, economic, and psychological factors that frequently determine the outcome of criminal prosecutions. Experiences in the criminal justice system offer compelling lessons in the ethical problems that are woven throughout criminal law practice. With insight gained from real-life experiences in the criminal courts, students grapple with these dilemmas as they learn practical skills and evaluate aspects of justice or the failure of justice in the criminal courts.
Elder Law Clinic (5 credits) – The Elder Law Clinic introduces students to the unique challenges of practicing law on behalf of the elderly, while also providing training in basic law practice skills. As the elderly population has increased, the field of elder law has become a growing specialty, demanding more sophisticated expertise to advise and assist clients effectively.
Under the supervision of experienced faculty, students spend twelve (12) to fifteen (15) hours per week advising and representing senior clients in a wide range of legal matters in courts, administrative agencies, and negotiation settings. Through their work, students experience law practice in the larger context of social, supportive, and advocacy services for the elderly. Students also develop an appreciation for the role of lawyers and legal institutions in protecting rights and enhancing the quality of life of the aging population.
While the focus is on serving elderly clients, students gain practical legal training in interviewing, counseling, negotiation, drafting, and advocacy, while providing legal advice and representation in areas such as health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, wills, consumer issues, elder abuse, and age discrimination.
The clinic includes a weekly seminar, which features an interdisciplinary approach through insights from the fields of sociology, gerontology, psychology, and health facilities administration. The seminar is also the setting for practicing essential professional skills, using simulated problems or problems drawn from current cases to prepare for activities in actual cases.
Family Law – The Family Law Clinic offers students the opportunity to learn family law practice from a variety of perspectives, including litigation, negotiation, and court proceedings. Working seventeen (17) to twenty (20) hours a week under the supervision of experienced faculty and practitioners, students represent clients in divorce litigation, child support enforcement, and family offense proceedings.
Although the focus is on family law issues, the Clinic also provides training in skills applicable to the practice of law generally. Through an intensive training program supplemented by a weekly seminar, students learn to interview clients; investigate and develop relevant facts; negotiate on behalf of clients; draft litigation documents; and handle in-court proceedings, including divorce, child support, and domestic violence cases.
To prepare for their responsibilities, students participate in an intensive training program at the start of the semester, covering the dynamics of family violence, the social and psychological dimensions of domestic abuse, the system of shelters and social services available to victims, and the police and criminal court procedures involved in the response to domestic violence. Students also learn special skills needed to interview and counsel clients who have endured these traumas.
Because protecting victims of family violence is a major focus of the clinic's mission, students spend one day each week in Family Court, where they interview and represent clients seeking court protection. Whether they secure a negotiated agreement or a court order after a trial, students experience the satisfaction of knowing that by obtaining an order of protection, excluding the batterer from the home or confiscating a weapon, their efforts have gained the client a measure of safety.
International Human Rights Clinic – The International Human Rights-Immigration Litigation Clinic provides students with experience representing clients who have applied for political and other forms of asylum in the United States. Students interview applicants and witnesses, engage expert witnesses, prepare asylum applications, and represent clients before courts and the United States Department of Justice in both hearings and appeals.
Students counsel clients seeking protection from imprisonment, torture, summary execution, and abuse by oppressive governments. Most recently, a majority of the clinic's clients have been refugees from Tibet, where the Chinese occupation and systematic destruction of the Tibetan religion, language, and culture have created a growing number of monks, nuns, political protestors, and ordinary citizens seeking asylum in the United States. Participation in the clinic teaches students to be both competent technicians in this demanding field and compassionate counselors to clients who have endured great torment.
This clinic pioneered the development of programs designed to meet the needs of evening students. The clinic is designed so that almost all work-including interviewing clients and witnesses, gathering evidence, and meeting with faculty supervisors-can be performed during the evening hours and on weekends. Litigation or administrative representation takes place during normal working hours; however, students usually spend no more than one day each semester at judicial or administrative proceedings.
Students work a minimum of ten (10) hours per week on clients' cases, and attend a weekly seminar, discussing progress, problems, issues, ethical concerns, and strategy in on-going cases. Seminar meetings also provide instruction and simulated practice in the advocacy techniques essential to asylum litigation.
Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Rotation – The Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Rotation places students with Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, Inc., a private, not-for-profit law firm that provides free legal assistance in civil matters to low-income individuals. The rotation is an intensive experience, designed to train students in a broad range of practice skills. Each student is given the opportunity to learn such essential lawyering skills as interviewing, fact development, case management, negotiating, counseling, drafting, and representing clients at administrative or judicial proceedings.
Nassau/Suffolk Law Services is well known both for the breadth and quality of its services. Students may be placed in units covering such areas of the law as housing, domestic violence, disability, welfare, consumer, family, or elder law. Because students work twenty (20) hours each week in the rotation, they become an integral part of the office and are given significant responsibility for cases. Under guidelines established by the courts, students can advise clients and appear in judicial proceedings, so the rotation affords an environment in which to strengthen and refine law practice skills.
Students meet once a week for a two-hour faculty-led seminar, which provides the opportunity to discuss substantive and ethical issues arising in their field placements.
Not-For-Profit Clinic – The Not-for-Profit Corporation Law Clinic is dedicated to assisting community groups and non-profit organizations. These entities provide a large and important array of services in any community: health care; education; children's programs; senior citizens' services; advocacy for disadvantaged groups; recreational and entertainment projects; and much more. Whether long-established or recently formed to address an emerging problem, both the organizations and their staff and board members need sound legal advice to function properly, fulfill legal requirements, and carry out their charitable purposes.
The clinic enables students to engage in the practice of basic corporate and non-profit law while helping community groups accomplish important goals. Under the supervision of experienced faculty, students advise groups on appropriate forms of organization to accomplish their goals. They also provide ongoing legal services in matters such as creation of corporate structure and by-laws; application for tax-exempt status; compliance with federal, state, and local laws; government filings; fundraising; advice on board and volunteer liability; restrictions on lobbying; and other actions of the organization.
Clinic students work an average of eight (8) hours each week on client matters typically in the evenings; they also participate in a weekly seminar covering the laws and procedures that apply to the non-profit groups and corporations. (Evening division students receive enrollment preference.)
Public Interest Clinics https://law.tulane.edu/clinics
Environmental Law Clinic– https://law.tulane.edu/clinics/environmental
The Legal Clinic provides assistance to low-income clients in the following specialty clinics:
Small Entrepreneur and Economic Development (SEED) Legal Clinic: provides low-cost legal and business assistance to small and emerging businesses in the local community. This assistance includes business planning, employment, contract/lease, tax, and entity formation information.
Civil Litigation Clinic: provides low-income clients with legal representation in housing matters, including landlord/tenant and foreclosure actions.
Reentry Clinic: provides legal assistance to low-income clients seeking to have their record sealed, obtain a pardon from the governor or receive a Certificate of Qualification for Employment. The clinic also assists victims of human trafficking with the expungement of their records.
Immigration and Human Rights Clinic: provides assistance to individuals seeking asylum while detained in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Capital Defense Clinic
Students in this clinic assist counsel representing individuals who are facing capital charges or have been sentenced to death.
Civil Law Clinic
Students provide free legal advice and representation to university students in civil cases and to members of the community unable to secure legal services, through referral or by application on case by case basis.
Community Development Clinic
Students provide legal assistance to individuals and non-profit or community organizations seeking to improve the economic, cultural, social, or environmental well-being of disadvantaged or underserved communities.
Criminal Defense Clinic
Students represent indigent clients through the Tuscaloosa County Public Defender's Office in all phases of the criminal justice system.
Domestic Violence Clinic
Students provide free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in a seven county area of West Alabama.
Elder Law Clinic
Students represent individuals aged 60 and over in matters such as Medicare, Medicaid and other public benefits; protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation; advance directives and durable powers of attorney; the drafting of wills; consumer fraud; and a broad array of other civil matters.
Mediation Law Clinic
Students provide individuals with free mediation services who have cases in family courts in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.
- 9th Circuit Appellate Representation Clinic
- Arizona Attorney General's Office Clinic
- Child and Family Law Clinic
- Civil Rights Restoration Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic
- Estate Planning Clinic: Will Drafting in Indian Country
- Immigration Law Clinic
- Indigenous Peoples Law Clinic
- Intensive Workers' Rights Clinic – Farmworker Legal Assistance
- International Human Rights Advocacy Workshop
- Tribal Courts Clinic
- Veterans' Advocacy Law Clinic
- Workers' Rights Clinic
- Wrongful Conviction Clinic
Delta Clinic
Part-Time Student Practicum Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic
Litigation Clinic
Mediation Clinic
Business Innovation Clinic
Consumer Protection Clinic
The Legal Clinic is the School of Law’s in-house law firm and includes the Bankruptcy Clinic, Civil Litigation and Advocacy Clinic, Criminal Practice Clinic, Human Trafficking Clinic, Immigration Clinic, and Transactional Clinic. Each offers students the opportunity to develop transferable lawyering skills under the close supervision of tenured and tenure-track faculty to graduate students who are ready to practice and have a lifelong commitment to public service.
The Legal Clinic was founded in 1975 to give students practical skills training by representing real clients in legal situations, and to provide critical services to the Northwest Arkansas community and beyond.
The Civil Litigation and Advocacy Clinic represents low-income clients seeking to enforce their rights in a variety of civil matters, including unpaid wages and appeals from the denial of unemployment benefits.
The Criminal Practice Clinic represents clients charged with misdemeanor and simply felony charges primarily in Washington County.
The Federal Practice Clinic currently focuses on helping people in the Northwest Arkansas area file for no-asset chapter 7 bankruptcies. Students work with clients from the initial intake through the discharge process, including handling all filings and appearing in court.
Students enrolled in the Human Trafficking Clinic complete advocacy projects for their clients—agencies and organizations seeking to confront and prevent human trafficking.
The Immigration Clinic provides opportunities for students preparing for a career in immigration law or general practice to develop skills that are critical the successful practice of law through experiential learning.
More information about the Legal Clinic is available here.
Students enjoy a variety of clinical experiences in which they have the opportunity to work with real clients in real-life settings. Clinical education is a cornerstone of the curriculum at UC Irvine School of Law. Prior to graduation, each student will complete at least one semester of clinical education, either in one of the Law School's core clinics or at a clinical field placement. Each student will work with an actual client or clients, under close supervision, in an environment designed to encourage reflection by students on their experiences and on the values and responsibilities of the legal profession, and the development of one's ability to assess his or her performance and level of competence. UCI Law students also have the opportunity to engage in additional clinical coursework through enrollment in one of the school's elective clinics.
Public Interest Clinics:
Core Clinics include the Appellate Advocacy Clinic, Environmental Law Clinic, Community and Economic Development (CED) Clinic, Immigrant Rights Clinic (IRC), International Justice Clinic, Consumer Protection Clinic, and Family Violence Clinic.
Elective Clinics include the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Civil Rights Clinic (DFEH) and the International Human Rights Clinic. Additional elective clinics will likely be added.
For more information, please visit the UCI Law Clinics website at: http://law.uci.edu/clinics/index.html
- California Environmental Legislation and Policy Clinic
- Community Economic Development Clinic
- Community Lawyering in Education Clinic
- Criminal Defense Clinic
- Documentary Film Clinic
- First Amendment Amicus Brief Clinic
- Food Law and Policy Clinic
- Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic
- Human Rights Litigation Clinic
- Immigrant Family Legal Clinic
- Immigrants' Rights Policy Clinic
- International Human Rights Clinic
- Street Law
- Supreme Court Clinic
- Tribal Legal Development Clinic
- Veterans Justice Clinic
- Immigration Clinic
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Prison Law Clinic
- Family Law Clinic
Berkeley Law offers several faculty-supervised clinics.
- The Death Penalty Clinic has a three-fold mission: offer law students a rich opportunity for hands-on training; seek justice for individual death row clients by providing them with the highest quality representation at trial, on appeal and in state and federal post-conviction proceedings; and expose and tackle problems endemic to the administration of the death penalty.
- The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) is the community-based component of Berkeley Law's Clinical Program. EBCLC was founded by Berkeley Law students in 1988 to provide legal services to low-income and underrepresented members of the community near the law school. EBCLC has nine practice areas: Clean Slate, Green Jobs, Health Law, Housing Law, Immigration Law, Neighborhood Justice (Consumer, Homelessness), Policy Advocacy, Welfare Law, and Youth Defender.
- The International Human Rights Law Clinic allows students to design and implement creative solutions to advance the global struggle for the protection of human rights. The Clinic currently works in four focal areas: Promoting human rights within the United States; economic, social, and cultural rights; counter-terrorism and human rights; and accountability and transitional justice.
- The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic offers law students the opportunity to learn about lawyering, government institutions and the complexities involved in technology-related law, while also providing representation to individuals, nonprofits, and consumer groups that could not otherwise obtain counsel. Students participating in the Clinic play an integral role in defining how civil liberties and other public values will be protected in an increasingly high-tech world.
Links to clinical websites can be found at: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/clinics.htm
Public Interest Clinics
In our in-house clinics, students take primary responsibility for representing actual clients under the supervision of full-time UC Hastings faculty. In out-placement clinics, students work with attorneys in governmental agencies or non-profit law offices. In our hybrid clinics, students take Business Tax Practicum for Social Enterprises
- Community Economic Development Clinic
- Community Group Advocacy and Social Change Lawyering Clinic
- Criminal Practice Clinic
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Immigrants' Rights Clinic
- Individual Representation Clinic
- Legislation Clinic
- Local Government Clinic
- Low-Income Taxpayers Clinic
- Mediation Clinic
- Medical-Legal Partnership for Seniors Clinic
- Practicum at Legal Services for Children
- Refugee and Human Rights Clinic
- Social Enterprise and Economic Empowerment Clinic
- Startup Legal Garage
- Workers' Rights Clinic
The University of Chicago Law School is home to many highly-regarded legal clinics and clinical projects: the eight projects within the Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic include a Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project, Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project, Employment Law Project, Federal Criminal Justice Project, Housing Initiative, Environmental Law Clinic, International Human Rights Clinic, and Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. Additional clinics include the Exoneration Project, the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship, the Prosecution and Defense Clinic, the Poverty and Housing Law Clinic, Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic and a Corporate Lab clinical program.
These Clinical Programs ensure the growth of community service and practical education for students of the Law School. These clinical programs are located in the Law School's Arthur O. Kane Center for Clinical Legal Education, and together, they offer Chicago second and third year students opportunities to learn litigation, legislative advocacy and transactional skills through classroom instruction, simulation and representation of clients under the close supervision of the clinical teachers. For more information, see https://www.law.uchicago.edu/clinics.
Domestic Violence Clinic
Sixth Circuit Practice Clinic
American Indian Law Clinic
Civil Practice Clinic
Criminal Defense Clinic
Criminal/Immigration Defense Clinic
Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
Juvenile and Family Law Clinic
Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic
Technology Law and Policy Clinic
Sustainable Community Development Clinic
The Law School offers the following clinical programs:
- Advanced Administrative Fieldwork
- Administrative Clerkship
- Children's Advocacy
- Civil Rights
- Advanced Civil Rights
- Criminal Appellate Division
- Advanced Criminal Appellate Division
- Employment Discrimination Law
- Health Law
- Human Behavior
- Judicial Clerkship
- Legislative Clerkship
- Mediation
- Poverty Law
- Poverty Law Fieldwork
- Tax Law
- Advanced Taxation
- Women's Rights
- Criminal Trial Division
- Political Asylum
- Civil Appellate (Juvenile Justice/Child Protection)
- Urban Legal Development.
The School of Law's Clinic – The School of Law's Clinic accepts cases for those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. In addition to working directly with clients, students enrolled in the credit-bearing clinic also take a class to develop skills.
The Student Law Office offers six different in-house clinics for students to participate in. For detailed info visit: http://www.law.du.edu/index.php/law-school-clinical-program/clinical-programs. The clinics include:
- Students participating in the Civil Litigation Clinic help low-income clients work through civil controversies in three areas: housing (eviction defense and termination of subsidies), domestic violence (civil protection orders), and employment (discrimination and wage and hour litigation). In addition to integrating legal theory and practice, students in the Civil Litigation Clinic may be required to work on a community project during their time in the clinic.
- The Civil Rights Clinic (CRC) is an intensive, year-long litigation program in which students represent clients in civil rights cases in federal court under the supervision of clinic faculty. Students also participate in a seminar designed to help them develop their litigation skills and understanding of the law, as well as the political and social contexts of civil rights litigation.
- The Community Economic Development (CED) Clinic teaches transactional practice skills to students through the representation of nonprofit corporations, community-based associations and enterprises, small businesses, and artists. The clinic provides both challenging client work and a rigorous classroom component to expose students to substantive legal concepts related to community economic development and business law
- Students enrolled in the Criminal Defense Clinic represent low-income clients charged with misdemeanors and municipal ordinance violations including assault, disturbing the peace, and shoplifting. Students appear in court at arraignments, pretrial conferences, motions hearings, trials, and sentencing hearings.
- Since 1984, the Environmental Law Clinic has provided real world experience for students interested in both developing practical legal skills and exploring the practice of environmental law. Students represent environmental advocacy organizations before courts and administrative agencies in a broad range of environmental matters.
- The Immigration Law and Policy Clinic (ILPC) provides legal services at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Students in the ILPC explore systemic problems in the immigration enforcement system, such as racial and economic bias, law enforcement and accountability, hyper-incarceration and access to justice. As part of the clinic, our student attorneys get hands-on, live-client experience in immigration removal cases and criminal cases with potential immigration consequences.
Child Welfare Legal Clinic
Conservation
Criminal Clinics – State Attorney and Public Defender
Virgil Hawkins Civil Clinics –
- Full Representation Clinic
- Family Law Pro Se Clinic
- Gator TeamChild Juvenile Advocacy Clinic
- County Court Mediation Clinic
- Legal Aid and Defender Clinic - Students work with staff attorneys to provide legal assistance to clients who cannot afford private representation. The office, which serves as the public defender in two counties, provides students with hands-on experience in matters ranging from misdemeanors to felony cases, including murder trials.
- Family Violence Clinic - Participants serve as lay advocates and student lawyers for the victims of family violence, both spouses and children. Students learn the art of civil litigation in a high intensity practice and engage in the thoughtful practice of law: interviewing, case and evidence preparation, counseling, negotiation and courtroom advocacy.
- Environmental Law Practicum - Law students collaborate with ecology students to protect one of the nation's hot spots of biodiversity, the Upper Etowah River Basin. Students consult with area planners and developers to devise sustainable solutions to ecological concerns. They recently drafted legislation, signed into Georgia state law, to protect river corridors and farmland.
- Land Use Clinic - This clinic is pioneering growth management in Georgia by drafting model legislation to protect greenspace, promote alternative transportation and preserve farmland. Participants work with specific clients to protect natural resources and address other pressing growth and developmental issues as well as draft legislative policies to promote quality growth.
Civil Practice Clinic – http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/civil.asp
Consumer Law Clinic - http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/consumerlaw.asp
Criminal Defense Clinic – http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/criminaldefenseclinic.asp
Immigration Clinic - http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/immi.asp
Mediation Clinic - http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/mediate.asp
Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic – http://www.law.uh.edu/clinic/ecdc.asp
Legal Aid Clinic – The College of Law offers six in-house clinics (collectively referred to as the "Legal Aid Clinic"): Appellate Clinic, General Practice Clinic, Tax Clinic, Tribal and Immigration Clinic, Small Business Legal Clinic, and the Victims' Rights Clinic. Students can take up to six credits in the Legal Aid Clinic.
Mini-clinics – The College of Law also has offered three mini-clinics or clinical labs this year: Bankruptcy Lab (a one-credit course which students in the regular Bankruptcy course could take to get practical experience); Children and the Law (a one-credit course associated with Family Law and Children and the Law seminar); and a one-credit Pro Se Clinic.
Family Advocacy Clinic
Students in the Family Advocacy Clinic represent parents and children involved in the juvenile abuse and neglect system under the supervision of an experienced attorney. Students are responsible for all aspects of the legal representation of their clients including challenging adjudicatory allegations in court, establishing visitation rights for the parents, and developing appropriate plans for reconciliation. Students learn the substantive and procedural law associated with abuse and neglect proceedings. In addition, students are trained and gain experience in skills such as interviewing, counseling, case planning and strategy, fact investigation, negotiating, research, drafting, motion practice, oral advocacy, and trial work.
Federal Civil Rights Clinic
Students working in pairs are assigned to represent pro se litigants in federal civil rights trials in the United States Courthouse in Urbana. The students are selected on the basis of spring tryouts and approved by the U.S. District Court Judge sitting in Urbana, and are provisionally admitted to the trial bar pursuant to Rule 83.5 (A) of the Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Working under Federal Clinical faculty supervision, these students will work with their actual clients to prepare and try a civil jury trial during the enrolled academic year. Availability of this opportunity is limited based on the District Court's docket, the interest of student attorneys, and the consent of pro se litigants. It is expected that up to ten students will be selected. They will meet in a seminar class once per week in the fall semester and as needed at all other times, including the spring semester.Immigration Law Clinic
In the Immigration Law Clinic, students receive intensive instruction in the substantive law, procedures, and concepts required to represent clients in a multitude of immigration matters, including: affirmative applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrant victims of crimes and/or persecution, for abused, abandoned or neglected children, defense in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review; appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals; and for individuals seeking permanent residence status or naturalization. Authorized by federal regulation, second- and third-year law students engage in representation of real clients in immigration matters. Students complete these direct services under the supervision of clinic faculty to ensure representation consistent with best practices. Students may appear in court and in non-adversarial administrative interviews. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, factual investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, persuasive writing, and other work relevant to representation of immigrant clients. Students will also hone oral advocacy skills as they present to their classmates and to community members on topics in immigration law.
Intellectual Property Clinic
The IP Clinic provides students with real-world trademark and patent prosecution experience and is intended as a capstone class for those entering the practice of trademark or patent law. The IP Clinic includes a Patent Track and a Trademark Track.
- Trademark Track: Student companies desiring trademark assistance are referred to the IP Clinic by the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) at The Grainger College of Engineering. Each clinic participant is assigned five companies and meets with the companies to advise them on the selection of trademarkable matter, performs trademark searching for the selected trademarks and prepares trademark applications. Completed trademark applications are provided to the companies for filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
- Patent Track: Student-innovators with potentially patentable inventions are referred to the IP Clinic by the TEC. The clinic participants then review the innovations, search the relevant prior art, select an innovation, and work with the inventors to draft a patent application for their innovation in consultation with the instructor. Completed patent applications are provided to the inventors for filing with the PTO. Participation in the Patent Track requires successful completion of LAW 797 Patent Prosecution.
Medical Legal Partnership Clinic
The Medical Legal Partnership Clinic is hosted by Land of Lincoln Legal Aid in partnership with Carle Foundation Hospital. Students learn about the medical-legal partnership model, social determinants of health, and how access to justice can improve health outcomes. Under the supervision of a Land of Lincoln experienced attorney, students assist clients with a variety of legal issues such as family matters, public benefit appeals, guardianship petitions, and advance directives. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, investigation, negotiation, research, advocacy, drafting pleadings, and court and administrative appearances.
Veterans Legal Clinic
The Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC) offers students the opportunity to learn holistic, client-centered lawyering through representing military veterans in a broad array of civil legal matters. While some of the cases the VLC will handle are specific to this client population, such as discharge upgrades, the majority of the clinic's cases involve broader civil legal issues, including family law, housing, consumer disputes, public benefits, disability, employment, etc. The clinic seeks to foster in its students a strong professional identity, advocacy skills, and consistent engagement in reflective, intentional practice while providing excellent legal services to a severely underserved population. Students will take the lead in all aspects of their cases, including client interviews, pleading drafting, fact investigation, discovery, negotiation, and court hearings. Students will also have the opportunity to interact professionally with a wide variety of social service, medical, mental health, and other providers in the effort to meet their client needs. Other Live-Client Programs:
Legal Externships
Externships are designed to expose 2L and 3L students to practical aspects of lawyering by allowing students to earn academic credit for performing uncompensated legal work, under the supervision of lawyers at approved non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or judges. Students will complete assignments such as interviewing clients and witnesses; researching legal questions; preparing pleadings, discovery motions, and briefs; and, in some instances, trying cases.
State Appellate Prosecutor
Students in this course will each prepare a brief to the Illinois Appellate Court in a criminal case on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois. An attorney from the Champaign County State's Attorney's Office, in collaboration with the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, will advise and supervise students in the preparation of the briefs. Initial class sessions will include instruction on and discussion of Illinois appellate procedure and brief-writing. In later weeks of the class, students will meet individually with the instructor to discuss issues arising in the preparation of their individual briefs.
The Clinical Law Program at Iowa Law functions like a single law firm with six distinct practice groups: Federal Criminal Defense, Civil & Employment Litigation, Estate Planning, Law & Policy in Action, Immigration, and the Community Empowerment Law Project. The Legal Clinic is unique in that students can choose to focus on one area of law or explore different interests by participating in two practice groups.
Criminal Prosecution Clinic - The program assigns students to work at various local prosecutors' offices, the state attorney general's office and offices of the United States Attorney. Student interns assist prosecutors in virtually all phases of the criminal process, including criminal trials and appeals.
Elder Law Externship - Students work under the supervision of experienced attorneys representing clients in matters such as income maintenance, social security, Medicare/Medicaid, and consumer protection.
Externship Clinic - This clinic provides students an opportunity to perform legal work under the supervision of a practicing attorney at pre-approved governmental agencies and public international organizations.
Family Health Care Legal Services Clinic - Students provide legal assistance to clients referred from the Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care Clinic in Kansas City, Kan. Cases may include health law, family law and immigration.
Immigration/Asylum Law Clinic - Students collaborate with the instructor on appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals. The clinic is designed to acquaint students with issues and procedures in immigration cases and to provide instruction in legal writing, research and analysis.
Judicial Clerkship Clinic - Students serve as law clerks for state and federal trial judges in the area. The clinic introduces students to the practice of law from a judge's perspective and gives students a practical understanding of the operation of the courts in which they serve.
Legal Aid Clinic - Students represent indigent citizens of Douglas County in settings including domestic relations, landlord-tenant disputes, and other civil actions. They also serve as public defenders in municipal court and juvenile court.
Legislative Clinic - Students are assigned as interns to state legislators during the spring legislative session.
Media Law Clinic - Students, under the supervision of the clinic director, respond to questions presented by lawyers, policy-makers, publishers, and others concerned with media law issues.
Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies - Students counsel and represent state and federal prisoners in appellate and post-conviction litigation in state and federal prisons.
Public Policy Clinic - Students in this clinic undertake policy studies in response to requests from public officials.
Tribal Judicial Support Clinic - Students provide research assistance in an array of projects ranging from tribal code development to drafting memoranda and orders.
University of Kentucky College of Law Legal Clinic
The Legal Clinic provides legal aid, under the supervision of a member of the College of Law faculty, to clients who qualify for the program because of their limited means. Because this program involves student practice under the limited practice rule, only third-year students are eligible to participate in the legal clinic.
Domestic Violence and Immigration Clinics
Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic - Established in 1970, the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic was one of the first law school clinical programs in the country. The Clinic provides free legal aid to more than 600 low-income individuals and families every year. It is a defining program of Maine Law, providing practical skills training for students and helping to fulfill the Law School’s commitment to social justice. All legal services are provided by law students who are enrolled in one of four clinical courses: General Practice, Prisoner Assistance, Youth Justice, and Refugee and Human Rights. Students enrolled in each of these courses also participate in the Clinic’s Protection from Abuse program, in which student attorneys assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking seeking civil protection orders. Student attorneys represent real clients in real cases. From intake meetings to filing court documents and standing up before a judge, students handle all aspects of client relations and case management under the close supervision of faculty who are leaders in their fields. https://mainelaw.maine.edu/academics/clinics-and-centers/clac/General Practice Clinic - Each student in the General Practice Clinic maintains a caseload and represents several low-income individuals in various areas of the law. Student attorneys interview and counsel clients, develop case theories, conduct discovery, negotiate with opposing parties, prepare cases for court, and conduct hearings, trials and appeals. Students regularly brief and argue cases before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and participate in hundreds of matters before Maine’s federal, state and probate courts, and administrative agencies.
Student attorneys take on a wide range of case types in the General Practice Clinic, from criminal defense to family law to consumer law. For criminal cases, students might represent clients charged with crimes such as drug trafficking, assault, or theft. Within the realm of family law, students help solve disputes involving parental rights and responsibilities, divorce, guardianship, protective custody, and other matters. For civil matters, students have the opportunity to represent consumers, victims of financial exploitation, or a family trying to keep their home. The legal issues are very real, and they are life-changing for the clients and also for the graduates of our program.
https://mainelaw.maine.edu/academics/clinics-and-centers/clac/general-practice/Prisoner Assistance Clinic - The Prisoner Assistance Program, part of Maine Law’s Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, helps inmates at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham in the Men’s, Women’s, and Pre-Release Units. Inside the walls of a prison, our students are able to practice law while still in law school. Third year law students, who have been sworn in as student attorneys, meet with their clients in the prison to assist them with their civil legal matters. The student attorneys manage large caseloads and engage in the same full range of civil legal work as lawyers. The incarcerated are a population often forgotten by society. But we all have rights, responsibilities, and legal needs, whether we are incarcerated or not. Through the vital work of the Prisoner Assistance Clinic, students at Maine Law ensure that the civil justice system remembers those rights and responsibilities. https://mainelaw.maine.edu/academics/clinics-and-centers/clac/prisoner-assistance/
Youth Justice Clinic - The Youth Justice Clinic provides students the opportunity to address the needs of troubled children in a number of diverse settings. Students in the Youth Justice Clinic frequently collaborate with local agencies to assist clients in meeting educational, mental health, and housing needs. With guidance and instruction from a faculty supervisor, student attorneys meet with clients and their families, attend school meetings, file motions, appear in court, and take the lead in developing programs for their clients designed to avoid both incarceration and recidivism. Students also work with other legal aid attorneys at the collaborative ‘Tuesdays at the Teen Center’ project, which involves weekly meetings with homeless teens at the Preble Street Teen Center to provide free legal advice, resource referrals, and an occasional pizza.
The Youth Justice Clinic provides opportunities for some students to pursue broader juvenile justice policy issues. For example, students often work with Maine’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group and Criminal Law Advisory Committee to research, draft, and edit proposed legislation. Other students may work on ongoing youth advocacy projects in Maine and around the country. https://mainelaw.maine.edu/academics/clinics-and-centers/clac/juvenile-justice/
Refugee and Human Rights Clinic - In the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, students serve as the attorneys assisting low-income immigrants through a broad range of cases and projects. The course targets a critical gap in access to justice – providing direct legal representation and broader advocacy to immigrants and refugees seeking political asylum and similar protections under federal law, while training future attorneys on how to best serve the legal needs of immigrants. Clients include, for example, asylum applicants who have fled human rights abuses in their home countries and are seeking refuge, immigrant survivors of domestic violence, and abandoned or abused children seeking legal status in the U.S.
Under faculty supervision, student attorneys not only develop their substantive knowledge of immigration law and human rights laws and norms, but they also build core legal skills relevant to the general practice of law. Clinical work for students includes: interviewing clients and witnesses and preparing testimony, working with interpreters and translators, conducting factual and legal investigation and marshaling of evidence, analyzing and presenting human rights documentation, developing case strategies, writing legal briefs, and appearing in administrative hearings. Students also have opportunities to collaborate with local nonprofit organizations and community groups on a range of advocacy projects. https://mainelaw.maine.edu/academics/clinics-and-centers/clac/refugee-and-human-rights/
Protection from Abuse Program - Most students enrolled in Clinic courses also participate in the Protection from Abuse Program, where they represent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Student attorneys attend at least one or two days of the protection from abuse (PFA) docket calls in Lewiston District Court. The Clinic’s work in this program is highly valued by the courts, as the PFA proceedings are often highly contentious and emotional.
With the assistance of counsel most cases are settled without a trial. If an agreed resolution of the case cannot be reached through negotiation, the student attorney represents the client at trial. Clinic student attorneys work closely with court advocates from Safe Voices, a non-profit organization based in Lewiston-Auburn. This collaboration ensures that every client not only receives legal representation in the protection order case but also receives the necessary support and resources to escape violence in the long-term. Every Clinic student also receives training on the dynamics of domestic violence and on the legal remedies available to victims.
http://www.law.umaryland.edu/publicservice/clinic.html
The law school's public interest clinics are the: (I) Community Development Clinic; (II) Criminal Prosecution Clinic; (III) Immigration Law Clinic; and (IV) Mashpee Wampanoag Legal Services Clinic. In all of these clinics, students are actively involved in providing pro bono legal services to community clients under the supervision of faculty and licensed attorneys.
Child and Family Litigation Clinic
Elder Law Clinic
Civil Litigation Clinic
Mediation Clinic (pending faculty approval)
Housing Adjudication Clinic
Bankruptcy Assistance Clinic
Children & Youth Law Clinic
Environmental Justice Clinic
Health Rights Clinic
Human Rights Clinic
Immigration Clinic
Innocence Clinic
Investor Rights Clinic
Startup Clinic
Tenants' Rights Clinic
Child Advocacy Law Clinic
Child Welfare Appellate Clinic
Civil Rights Litigation Initiative
Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic
Community Enterprise Clinic
Criminal Appellate Practice Clinic
Entrepreneurship Clinic
Environmental Law and Sustainability Clinic
Federal Appellate Litigation Clinic
Human Trafficking Clinic
International Transactions Clinic
Juvenile Justice Clinic
Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
Michigan Innocence Clinic
Pediatric Advocacy Initiative
Transactional Law Clinics Program
Veterans Legal Clinic
Workers’ Rights Clinic
The U of M Law School offers programs of clinical education, with 17 diverse clinics. These clinics offer students opportunities to hone their legal skills and gain real-world experience with clients in a supportive setting. Nationwide, approximately 25% of law students participate in at least one clinic program, but at the U of M, more than 50% of law students participate in at least one clinic program. These students provide more than 18,000 hours of pro bono legal service to the Twin Cities community each year, primarily to lower-income individuals who otherwise would have difficulty obtaining representations. Under the Student Practice Rule adopted by the Minnesota Supreme Court, clinic students are permitted to represent clients in actual court and administrative agency proceedings under the supervision of clinic faculty. Clinics include: bankruptcy, child advocacy, civil practice, criminal appeals, environmental sustainability, federal defense, housing, immigration, Indian child welfare, innocence project, misdemeanor defense, misdemeanor prosecution, multi-profession business law, public interest law, special education, tax, and workers' rights.
Innocence Clinic
In 2007, the University of Missouri System provided funding to launch a joint innocence project with The Midwest Innocence Project, a non-profit organization based in Kansas City, Mo. Students work with an experienced lawyer and clinical professor who serves as legal director for the Innocence Project, handling cases of possible innocence from six states with the opportunity to review case transcripts, gather documents and other evidence, search for witnesses and conduct interviews.
Veterans Clinic
Students at the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic help veterans and their families secure disability benefits.
Student work is done at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals level and before the Court of Appeals for Veterans’ Claims. Students are supervised by an experienced attorney at each step and will have the opportunity to work in a law firm atmosphere within the law school serving real client needs. Law students interested in personal injury, civil litigation or administrative law will benefit from the skills taught in this clinic.
Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic
The law school’s Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic (ELC) was launched in the fall of 2015 to provide clinical opportunities for students to work with small and start-up business clients. The clinic, directed by attorney Donald Seitz, assists members of the university and Mid-Missouri communities seeking to start businesses by providing supervised legal services involving entity planning and formation, governance issues, employee issues, intellectual property analysis, governmental regulations and contract drafting.
- Child and Family Services Clinic, Tax Clinic
- Guardian Ad Litem Workshop
- Death Penalty Clinic
- Department of Labor Clinic
- Environmental Law Clinic
- Jackson County Prosecutor's Clinic
- Legal Aid Clinic
- Missouri Attorney General Clinic
- NLRB Clinic, Public Defender Trial Clinic
- Social Security Administration Clinic
- U.S. Attorney's Office Clinic
ACLU
ASUM Legal Services
Child Support Enforcement Clinic
County and City Attorneys Offices
Criminal Defense Clinic
DNRC Forestry & Trust Land Mgt. Div.
Federal Defenders
Indian Law Clinic
Innocence Project
Judicial
Montana Legal Services
National Wildlife Federation
Prosecution
Public Defender
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
U.S. Attorney's Office
U.S. Department of Agriculture
University Legal Counsel
Civil Clinical Law Program: The Civil Clinical Law Program is the College of Law’s first formal clinical program, launching in January, 1975. Students in the Civil Clinic have an opportunity to represent low-income clients in a wide variety of civil and administrative cases selected by the faculty for potential litigation and trial experience and maximum pedagogical benefit. In addition to litigation-based experiences, Civil Clinic students also have opportunities to engage in projects that help them develop their drafting and planning skills, such as the Advance Directive Clinic Project, in which students draft simple estate planning documents for clients. Students’ caseloads are designed to approximate the types of matters they might expect to handle as new lawyers in a variety of practice settings.
Immigration Clinic: The Immigration Clinic was established in 1998. Its purpose is to give students an intensive, year-long experience working in-depth on immigration cases on behalf of low-income clients in need of legal assistance. Because of the nature of the work and the clientele, and the amount of time students will devote to the Clinic, students interested in the Immigration Clinic must apply and go through an application process. The application process usually occurs in February of each year. Students applying to participate in the Immigration Clinic must commit to being in the Clinic from the May after their second year until May of the year in which they graduate. The types of cases handled by students vary with the needs of the clientele, but generally include such matters as family-based immigrant cases, deportation defense, asylum cases (both affirmative and defensive), Special Immigrant Juvenile visa cases, post-conviction claims based on failure of defense counsel to advise of immigration consequences of criminal proceedings, and other like matters. Although they will inherit an ongoing caseload, students in the Immigration Clinic have a fair amount of discretion in deciding what types of new cases to take, and will have some flexibility to tailor those types of cases to their areas of interest.
Children’s Justice Clinic: Students participating in the Children’s Justice Clinic will serve as guardians ad litem in the Lancaster County Juvenile Court under the supervision of adjunct law professor Michelle Paxton. The primary goal of the Children’s Justice Clinic is to provide students with the knowledge, skills and ethical underpinnings necessary to function as effective advocates in a setting involving the legal needs of young children.
Appellate Clinic
Family Justice Clinic
Education Advocacy Clinic
Immigration
Innocence Clinic
Juvenile Justice
Mediation Clinic
Administrative Advocacy Clinic
The Administrative Advocacy Clinic provides students with the opportunity to represent local clients in unemployment compensation appeals, Health & Human Services appeals, and motor vehicle licensing hearings. Applying what they have learned in the classroom, UNH law students actively learn the basics of practicing law by managing administrative cases before State agencies. Specifically, students have the opportunity to interview clients, perform fact investigation, and write briefs submitted to the New Hampshire Department of Employment Security Appeal Tribunal and Appellate Board.
Appellate Defender Clinic
Charged with the responsibility of handling virtually all of the indigent criminal appeals from New Hampshire State Courts, the New Hampshire Appellate Defender Program is housed at the UNH School of Law. Moreover, approximately 100 briefs per year are filed in the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and 80 cases per year are argued in front of the Court. As a result, UNH law students have the unique opportunity to actively assist Appellate Defender attorneys in researching, writing appeals briefs and preparing oral arguments.
Consumer & Commercial Law Clinic:
The Consumer and Commercial Law Clinic focuses on consumer finance, debt collection, and bankruptcy cases. Thus, students have the opportunity to actively integrate and apply contract law, federal and state consumer protection statutes, as well as state, federal, and bankruptcy civil procedure. Students prosecute and defend a wide variety of cases including: identity theft, unfair trade practices, small business disputes, predatory lending, and bankruptcy related-issues.
Criminal Practice Clinic:
Integrating and applying legal skills and doctrinal courses in criminal law, legal writing, and oral advocacy, the Criminal Practice Clinic provides an opportunity for students to represent indigent defendants accused of Class A misdemeanors and felony crimes in New Hampshire District and Superior Courts. After intensive preparation, students file motions, negotiate with prosecutors, and have the opportunity to try cases before judges and juries.
Intellectual Property & Business Transaction Clinic:
Assisting clients in both adversarial and non-adversarial claims, the UNH Intellectual Property & Business Transaction Clinic accepts referrals from the New Hampshire Lawyers for the Arts Program and the Amoskeag Busines Incubator. As a result, students are exposed to a variety of cases involving copyright, trademark, and small business issues. Daily, students represent authors, artists, musicians, small businesses, non-profit organizations in copyright and trademark registration, licensing and protection. Students also assist individuals forming and managing non-profit corporations.
Mediation Clinic:
The Mediation Clinic offers law students the unique opportunity to mediate civil disputes and controversy within the Concord and Manchester New Hampshire District Courts. Equipped with mediation skills after completing an intensive seminar demonstrating effective mediation techniques, law students are assigned mediation cases and expected to mediate between the disputing parties. Additionally, students observe and discuss the role of an attorney advocating for his client during the mediation.
Street Law Clinic:
Recognizing the importance in teaching the local community about civil, criminal and constitutional democracy in a practical way, UNH School of Law students venture into the New Hampshire High Schools to teach high school students about human rights and democratic values. UNH law students prepare reading and lesson plans, and keep a reflective journal about their experiences. Before teaching high school students, UNH law students are trained in effective teaching methods and participate in peer teaching exercises.
Community Lawyering Clinic
Economic Development Clinic
Law Practice Clinic
Southwest Indian Law Clinic
Civil Legal Assistance Clinic - The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic is a two-semester clinic in which third-year students represent clients in various civil matters related to employment, housing, consumer issues, and other areas of civil rights and poverty law.
Community Development Law Clinic - The Community Development Law Clinic is a two-semester clinic in which third-year students provide corporate and transactional counsel to North Carolina nonprofit community development organizations. The CDL Clinic helps students develop skills in corporate and transactional law and at the same time serve the legal needs of under-resourced communities in North Carolina.
Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic - The Consumer Financial Transactions Clinic allows third-year students to represent clients in civil matters related to consumer debt, credit, personal property, and homeownership under the supervision of a full-time faculty member. CFT students have represented clients in matters of abusive and unfair sales practices, auto loans and repossessions, mortgage foreclosure, and abusive debt collection.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Clinic - The Domestic Violence Clinic is a one-semester experiential course taught in both the fall and spring semesters in which third-year law students represent low-income clients in civil matters aimed at assisting clients in safely leaving abusive relationships.
Immigration Clinic - This two-semester clinic provides students with an opportunity to represent clients in immigration cases. Students prepare claims and advocate on behalf of immigrant clients, including refugees applying for asylum, battered immigrants applying for relief through the Violence Against Women Act and immigrants eligible for U-visas for crime victims.
Intellectual Property Clinic- The Intellectual Property Clinic trains students to be creative and effective advocates on behalf of clients who need to protect the words, symbols, names, images or designs that allow consumers to easily identify and authenticate the source of a service or product. Much of the clinic’s work involves representing independent non-profits, educational institutions, and small businesses before the USPTO.
Veterans Legal Assistance Project: The Veterans Legal Assistance Project offers legal assistance to low-income veterans, with a special focus on veterans who are currently excluded from VA health and disability benefits because of their discharge status. Students represent veterans in discharge upgrade applications and in claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Youth Justice Clinic - The Youth Justice Clinic is a one or two-semester clinic in which third-year law students represent children accused of crimes. Our cases principally involve the defense of youths in delinquency and undisciplined proceedings in Durham and Orange counties.
The University of Oklahoma Legal Clinic is a clinical program providing law students the opportunity to represent indigent clients in a broad range of cases in Cleveland and McClain Counties and in administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies. The Legal Clinic includes both a Civil Clinic and a Criminal Defense Clinic.
Criminal Defense Clinic and Advanced Criminal Defense Clinic - Students work with the Public Defender of Lane County. Work includes conducting client and witness interviews, investigations, and help with defense of clients in circuit court.
Criminal Prosecution Clinic and Advanced Criminal Prosecution - Students prepare and try minor criminal cases under the supervision of attorneys and assist senior prosecutors on felony cases.
Domestic Violence Clinic – This Clinic offers two clinic tracks, a Protective Order Clinic, and a Civil Clinic. Both Clinics offer an Advanced Clinic Option. Enrolled students enrolled in the Clinic represent survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other forms of intimate partner.
Environmental Law Clinic - Students work with attorneys at the Western Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit public interest law firm with offices in Eugene, Taos, Seattle, and Helena. Students work with attorneys on active and developing litigation.
Nonprofit Clinic – In this interdisciplinary clinic, students conduct organizational assessments of nonprofit organizations and facilitate a dialogue between nonprofit organizations’ Executive Directors and Board of Directors regarding recommendations.
Civil Practice Clinic (Focus on Health Law and Elder Law)
Community & Economic Development Clinic
Environmental Law Clinic
Family Law Clinic
Taxpayer Low Income Clinic
Civil Law Clinic
Gay Lesbian Rights
Inmigration Clinic
Mediation
The Jeanette Lipman Family Law Clinic is a holistic defense clinic focused on the representation of parents involved in child welfare and dependency proceedings in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts and Circuit Courts in Richmond.
The Intellectual Property and Transactional Law clinic provides high quality, pro bono transactional legal services to start-ups, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and individual creators of intellectual property.
The Children's Defense Clinic is a litigation-oriented clinic that focuses primarily on the needs of indigent children who are before the court on delinquency or immigration matters and post-conviction challenges for individuals originally sentenced to prison when they were minors.
Through the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, Richmond Law students take a leading role in screening, investigating, and litigating felony cases in which there is credible evidence of the convicted person’s innocence.
The Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services (IPC)is among the first of its kind in the country through which faculty and students from the disciplines of law, psychology, and social work collaborate to help clients in need. The Legal Services Clinic of the IPC oversees law clinic offerings: Appellate Clinic, Bankruptcy Litigation Clinic, Consumer Bankruptcy Clinic, Community Justice Project, Elder Law Clinic, Federal Commutations Clinic, Immigration Law Clinic, Immigration Appellate Clinic, Nonprofit Organizations Clinic, and Criminal Misdemeanor Clinic.
In the IPC, law students in several of the clinics frequently work side by side with students from the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work and Graduate School of Psychology. Under the guidance of the Center faculty, law students provide representation and assistance to the underserved populations of the Twin Cities on problems ranging from health care issues to political asylum to issues of social justice.
Over the past several years, UST has dramatically expanded its clinical offerings, going far in meeting demand from students and employers for training in practice ready competencies in a rapidly changing legal environment.
Child Advocacy Clinic: Dependency I & Dependency II– Students participating in Students participating in the Dependency Clinic work with an assigned attorney from the San Diego Office of the Public Defender representing abused children in dependency court proceedings. Dependency Clinic interns meet as a group once a week to discuss their work and to review current issues in child advocacy.
Child Advocacy Clinic: Policy I & Policy II – Students participating in the Policy Section work with CAI staff on projects relating to state agency rulemaking, legislation, litigation, or other advocacy. Policy projects might include performing research and writing on the California Children's Budget or the Children's Regulatory Law Reporter. Interns may also be assigned to participate in policy research and analysis of current applications of law and regulations as they affect children.
Civil Clinic – Students participating in the Civil Clinic interview, counsel and represent clients in actual civil cases under the supervision of a clinical professor through the in-house clinic law office. Weekly group meetings are combined with individual case conferences to provide intensive personal training in problem solving and case management, and to provide exposure to practice and procedure.
Criminal Clinic I & II – The Criminal Clinic is a clinical course that places students with a prosecuting or defending agency in the criminal justice system. A two-hour per week classroom component provides simulations, lectures and discussions in the most common areas of criminal practice.
Entrepreneurship Clinic – Through hands-on opportunities, students in the Entrepreneurship Clinic provide pro bono legal services to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs who want to start or expand their small businesses. The Entrepreneurship Clinic does not engage in litigation-related services; instead, it focuses on advising clients on legal matters relating to their business and assisting in drafting and filing necessary documents. Such work includes determining the appropriate choice of business entity; assistance in obtaining necessary permits and licenses; advising on employment and independent contractor issues; drafting and reviewing commercial contracts and leases; and assisting with the establishment of tax-exempt organizations.
Environmental Law Clinic I & II – This is a clinical course for students who wish to develop litigation skills in the context of environmental law. All work is performed under the direct supervision of the director of the Environmental Law Clinic. There is a two-hour per week classroom component, as well as a regular meeting with the director of the Environmental Law Clinic.
Immigration Clinic I & II – Students participating in the Immigration Clinic gain practical experience through interviewing, counseling, and representing clients with immigration-related problems. Weekly meetings are held with the clinic supervisor to discuss immigration law and practice and casework.
Land Use Clinic I & II – The Land Use Clinic provides students with the opportunity to become involved in land use and land development issues. Students may be placed with a government agency, such as the San Diego City Attorney's Office, or elect to work with private clients. Students represent private clients by assisting property owners through the permitting process and at discretionary review hearings. Students also meet with local community planning groups and negotiate with the city or other governmental agencies. Students represent private clients under the supervision of the Land Use Clinic director. The weekly two hour classroom component covers the basic statutory and regulatory framework of land use law and procedures.
Mental Health Clinic – The Mental Health Clinic is a fast-paced, hands-on course supervised by the director of the Patient Advocacy Program. Students develop their interviewing, negotiation, investigation and critical thinking skills in the context of statutorily mandated administrative hearings in psychiatric facilities and resolving patient rights complaints. Students may attend meetings regarding the administrative/regulatory aspects of behavioral health care. The weekly 1-1/2 hour class component includes lectures, guest speakers, case review and discussion.
Patient Advocacy Program – The Patient Advocacy Program provides statutorily mandated advocacy services to mental health consumers in a variety of 24 hour facilities throughout San Diego County. Patient advocates provide patient representation at administrative hearings conducted to review involuntary psychiatric holds. They also investigate complaints of alleged abuse and denial of rights in various treatment settings.
The program provides education and outreach to consumers, providers and the community regarding the laws and regulations that govern mental health treatment and patient rights.
Perspectives in Criminal Justice – Students participating in the Perspectives in Criminal Justice course serve as pre-arraignment representatives for the Department of the Public Defender by going into the San Diego County Jail and identifying recent arrestees who have not made bail. Students conduct initial interviews to provide advice regarding an arrestee's constitutional and statutory rights, address an arrestee's concerns arising from his incarceration, and obtain and investigate information relevant to the issue of bail, such as the arrestee's length of residence, his current employment status, and ties to the local community.
Students assist the deputy public defender in the felony arraignment department by counseling and arraigning defendants charged with felony offenses and arguing for a bail reduction or release. Students also interview persons convicted of a criminal offense who have been identified by the Department of the Public Defender as eligible for an expungement of their convictions in order to compile and prepare the documentation required for the appropriate motion. Students may argue any motions that they have prepared that are set for a court hearing.
Public Interest Law Clinic – Students who enjoy Public Interest Law and Practice frequently go on to take Public Interest Law Clinic, in which they may design their own writing or advocacy project related to regulatory or public interest law. In the past, these projects have included written critiques of agencies or agency programs; petitioning an agency to adopt regulations; drafting model legislation; participating in litigation to enforce the state's "sunshine statutes"; or submitting amicus curiae briefs on public interest issues pending appeal. Student critiques of publishable quality may satisfy USD's written work requirement.
Small Claims Clinic I & II – The Small Claims Clinic offers students the opportunity to develop interviewing and counseling skills as well as trial preparation skills in the Small Claims Court context. Students assist low-income families in preparing their cases for trial at Small Claims Court and can represent clients in the appeals process in Superior Court.
Special Education Clinic I & II – Students receive practical training and experience in client intake, interviewing and counseling, and representation of clients at meetings with school district personnel. Some cases proceed to formal mediation and hearing. Weekly group meetings are combined with individual case conferences to provide intensive personal training in case management. The classroom component also includes an overview of statutes and cases in this growing area of civil law.
Tax Clinic – The Tax Clinic is a hands-on class that provides students with practical tax controversy experience while assisting low income taxpayers with IRS problems. An emphasis is placed upon client interviewing skills, as well as learning how to negotiate with the IRS, and how to effectively resolve a client's federal tax dispute. Also, students provide outreach programs to the local community, advising citizens of their rights as taxpayers, as well as their tax obligations.
The USF Law Clinic is an in-house teaching law firm that handles real cases for clients pro bono. Under the direction of experienced faculty members, students earn academic credit while representing real clients through judicial and administrative proceedings in a range of civil, criminal defense and juvenile law cases. Students participate in client interviews, investigations, counseling, research, drafting, discovery, and negotiation. The USF Law Clinic includes several specialized clinics, which are listed below.
Child Advocacy Clinic
In the Child Advocacy Clinic, students receive training and, under the supervision of the clinic director, represent abused, neglected, or abandoned children in child welfare proceedings. Clinic activities include interviewing clients, investigation, writing and responding to motions, and court appearances on behalf of clients in San Francisco Superior and Juvenile Courts, as well as the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.
Mediation Clinic
Students in the Mediation Clinic have the opportunity to apply dispute resolution skills by serving as mediators in cases brought to the San Francisco Small Claims Court. These mediations involve most areas of the law with the exception of criminal and family law matters. After intensive training, clinic students conduct mediations and draft settlement agreements for parties who are able to resolve their disputes.
Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic
A successor to our first in-house program, the criminal clinic remains a core component of the USF Law Clinic. Students enrolled in this clinic represent indigent defendants in all phases of criminal proceedings, from arraignment through trial and appeal. They also represent defendants in juvenile court delinquency proceedings.
Employment Law Clinic
Students in this clinic represent clients in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission mediations involving alleged discrimination. Students investigate claims and prepare cases for mediation. As part of their preparation, students develop the theory of the case, determine damages, and write a mediation brief. Upon successful resolution of the case, students prepare a settlement agreement. In addition, students become involved in wage and hour disputes before the California Labor Commissioner. The clinic assists clients of the Instituto Laboral de la Raza, a nonprofit workers' rights organization that addresses the needs of low income workers and their families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic
USF's innovative Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic focuses on critical human rights issues, including migrants' rights, application of the death penalty to juveniles, and trafficking of women. Participating students research and prepare presentations for the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Commission of the Status of Women. Many of the students personally present their case to the Council at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, or to the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. Students also work on briefs detailing international law standards to U.S. courts and represent individual clients before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Predatory Lending Law Clinic
The Predatory Lending Clinic is offered as a clinical component of the Predatory Lending Law and Practice course. The course covers federal and state protections against predatory lending practices, including the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Unfair Business Practices Act. Practical training is provided on interviewing techniques, case planning, discovery, drafting, and working with clients who have cultural and language differences. Clinical placements send students to the California reinvestment Coalition, several local legal aid offices, Adult Protective Services, the San Francisco District Attorney's office, as well as to local law firms engaged in pro bono predatory lending work.
Clinical CoursesCarolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership (CHAMPS) Clinic
The CHAMPS Clinic is a collaboration of the School of Law, the USC School of Medicine, Palmetto Health, Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, and South Carolina Legal Services. It will provide students with the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary learning and community engagement in the context of live-client legal cases. More specifically, students will take legal cases on behalf of low income families referred from Palmetto Health and Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group. These cases will address the social-determinants of clients’ health. The law students will work collaboratively on these legal cases with doctors, social workers and other health professionals. In addition to case work, the course will have a seminar component during which students will learn the doctrine, theory, lawyering skills, and policy relevant to their case work. The seminar will also provide the students opportunities to lead discussions about case-related issues and solicit feedback from colleagues on those issues.
Criminal Practice Clinic
The clinic will afford participating students an opportunity to gain first-hand, closely supervised training and experience in the representation of real clients and the practice of the arts/skills of litigation planning, client counseling, fact development, negotiation and courtroom advocacy. The vehicle for such training and experience is the planning, preparation and presentation of the legal defense in actual cases involving allegations of criminal conduct. All casework will be done under the supervision of a clinical professor. In addition to the cases there will be assigned readings, lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. Criminal Practice Clinic places emphasis on jury trial practice before the Municipal Court for the City of Columbia.
Domestic Violence Clinic
This course will train students to assume the role of lawyer and introduce them to domestic violence law. Through classroom discussion, simulations, assigned readings, and fieldwork, the course will cover central concepts of laws governing emergency orders of protection and affirmative domestic violence-related immigration remedies, such as U Visas, VAWA Self-Petitions, and Battered Spouse Waivers, and give students an opportunity to apply their knowledge by representing clients seeking these forms of relief. Students will have an oppoortunity to develop legal skills, including: interviewing and counseling clients; fact investigation; legal research, writing and analysis; case strategy; negotiations; and courtroom advocacy, as well as professional and life skills related to legal practice. The course will also give students an opportunity to consider the broader context of their individual cases through class discussion and community-based projects, which may include know-your-rights presentations, limited advice and assistance clinics, and policy research.
Education Rights Clinic
The clinic helps special-needs children and their families get access to equal educational opportunity, handling legal issues ranging from disability eligibility and entitlement to services, to developing adequate Individualized Education Programs and discipline matters. Law students will begin to develop a variety of legal skills including: interviewing clients, fact investigation, legal research and analysis, case strategy, negotiations, as well as participate in mediation and possibly litigation proceedings.
Juvenile Justice Clinic
The clinic will afford participating students an opportunity to gain first-hand, closely supervised training and experience in the representation of real clients and the practice of the arts/skills of litigation planning, client counseling, fact development, negotiating, and courtroom advocacy. The vehicle for such training and experience is the planning, preparation and presentation of the legal defense of juveniles in cases involving allegations of delinquent (i.e. criminal) conduct, including pre-trial issues, guilt or innocence, and disposition (i.e. sentencing) advocacy. All casework will be done under the supervision of a clinical professor.
Nonprofit Organizations Clinic
This clinic provides legal assistance to nonprofit organizations of all types addressing the various needs of the community. Because many of these organizations lack the financial resources to retain private legal counsel, students provide legal assistance in transactional matters that include incorporation, preparation of by-laws, preparation and filing of 501(c)(3) applications, contract review and negotiation, real estate, intellectual property and land use issues. Students may attend board meetings, provide legal assistance to start up organizations or organizations that are merging, converting or spinning off new ventures. The nature of the clinic allows for experience touching many different legal disciplines and helps provide for the stabilization of these organizations so that they can better serve the community.
Sustainable Development Clinic
Through this clinic, students will provide transactional and advisory legal services to entities whose activities focus on sustainable development, and who would not otherwise be able to hire counsel. These entities (potentially to include non-profit organizations, local governments, public agencies, and others) may work on ecological conservation, agriculture and food access, land use resilience, or other areas. Students will interview clients, conduct needed legal research and writing, advise clients, and provide services in a variety of legal subject areas, likely to include administrative law, environmental law, property law, land use law, and non-profit organizations law. Students may draft and review legal instruments such as conservation easements, examine property title issues, review and advise on organizational documents, and research and advise on legal tools available for resilience initiatives. Through a seminar component and case rounds in addition to hands-on work, students will gain a more sophisticated understanding of the concepts of sustainability and resilience, attorney ethics and professional rules of practice, and other issues faced by land use lawyers, including interdisciplinary matters and policy questions.
Veterans Legal Clinic
This clinic offers services to any indigent veteran facing legal issues on credit and related financial matters, housing issues, government benefits, and family law issues. Students enrolled in the clinic will work to protect the rights of veterans and their families, while learning valuable skills including client interviewing, fact investigation, working with experts, and litigation. Learn more
Our six clinics provide JD students with a priceless educational experience. You will work on actual cases, represent real clients, and provide solutions and practical recommendations to resolve their issues. Our practicums allow you to gain hands-on experience with clients while exploring a substantive legal issue in depth. These clinics and practicums create a vital link between classroom and practice by enhancing listening and critical thinking skills necessary for success.
- Immigration Clinic
The clinic provides representation to adults and children from all over the world, including Mexico, Central and South America, and Africa. Students have the opportunity to represent clients in Immigration Court hearings or drafting appellate briefs for the Board of Immigration Appeals or U.S. Court of Appeals. Students may also work on advocacy and research projects, such as documenting conditions in immigration detention facilities or access to medical care for detained immigrants.
- Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic (IPTLC)
Students in the clinic represent budding filmmakers, artists, game developers, entrepreneurs and nonprofits struggling with the challenges presented at the intersection of creative expression, technology, law and policy. Many clients are minority-owned or women-owned businesses. The clinic also seeks to shape national copyright policy by filing for Digital Millennium Copyright Act exemptions to address the needs of clients from documentary filmmakers to farmers, and by submitting comments to public studies conducted by the U.S. Copyright Office.
- International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC)
USC Gould students handle pro bono cases and advocacy projects that confront some of the most pressing human rights concerns. Our work is local and global, and often undertaken in partnership with international courts and tribunals, nongovernmental organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions, think tanks and law firms, as well as individual advocates.
- Mediation Clinic
USC Gould students gain firsthand experience using conflict resolution techniques to mediate real cases in Los Angeles County Superior Court through the law school’s award-winning Mediation Clinic. In the role of the "neutral," students help parties in actual cases arrive at mutually agreeable solutions to their conflicts. In a single year, students will personally mediate several dozen cases, either individually or in a co-mediation with a classmate.
- Post-Conviction Justice Project (PCJP)
The clinic, the law school’s first clinical program, represents California federal and state inmates in post-conviction issues ranging from parole board hearings to petitions for writ of habeas corpus. Students have the opportunity to represent clients in administrative and court hearings, present testimony and appellate arguments, and work on policy advocacy and the constitutionality of sentencing juveniles to extreme adult sentences - a rapidly evolving area of law.
- Small Business Clinic (SBC)
The Small Business Clinic provides basic corporate legal assistance to entrepreneurs, small businesses, start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, ranging from entity selection and formation to contract drafting. Past clients include a local brewery, a local organic farm, a trucking company, several video games and a mobile nail salon.
For more than sixty years, the University of Tennessee College of Law has been a national leader in clinical legal education. Through its clinical programs, UT has helped law students develop the lawyering skills and professional judgment needed after graduation. The College has also advanced the cause of justice over the years by serving thousands of indigent clients unable to afford a lawyer.
UT Legal Clinic - The cornerstone of clinical offerings at the College of Law is the UT Legal Clinic and its Advocacy Clinic course offering. The Legal Clinic is a functioning law firm -- a teaching law office. Under special rule of the Tennessee Supreme Court, third-year law students represent real clients under faculty supervision. In the process, students are exposed to all facets of managing a case -- interviewing, research, counseling, negotiations, and advocacy in court. Case areas include adult criminal matters, juvenile delinquency, eviction actions, and unemployment hearings, among others.
Business Law Clinic - The Law School's Center for Entrepreneurial Law requires those enrolled to follow a special curriculum, grants them a special certificate at completion, and aims to prepare them for a transactional practice. The experience involves third-year law students, working in conjunction with full-time and adjunct faculty, providing business-related legal services to individuals and enterprises that would not otherwise be able to afford the range and depth of legal services that they need.
Domestic Violence Clinic –Law students working in the Domestic Violence Clinic represent real clients in contested hearings and trials through Knox County's Fourth Circuit Court. Students represent victims of domestic violence in gaining orders of protection and related matters.
Environmental Practicum –The Environmental Practicum offers students the opportunity to affect environmental law and policy in Tennessee. Students develop the skills required to successfully respond to specific environmental challenges in practice. Students help local governments, state agencies, landowners and non-profit organizations develop quality land use and growth management policies and practices.
Mediation Clinic - For many years, the College of Law has offered a Mediation Clinic in which students receive training in how to mediate disputes and then actually serve as mediators in cases before local courts of limited jurisdiction.
Non-profit Enterprises Clinic - This seminar examines federal and state laws that govern nonprofit corporations and offer practical clinical experience representing local corporations. Under the supervision of an experienced practitioner, teams of students conduct "legal audits" of local nonprofit corporations, make presentations to administrators and directors, draft corporate documents and help clients resolve specific legal problems
Immigration Clinic - Over the past ten years, East Tennessee has become the home of numerous immigrants from Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa and the Middle East. Tennessee alone has experienced a 200% increase in its foreign-born population since 2000. In response to the growth, there has been an increasing need for legal representation for low-income immigrants. Accordingly, the University of Tennessee Legal Clinic created the immigration clinic. The clinic is directed by UT Professor Karla McKanders. The clinic offers free legal assistance in immigration matters for clients who meet income eligibility requirements.
Homer A. Jones, Jr. Wills Clinic - The Homer A. Jones, Jr. Wills Clinic gives law students real-world experience in trust and estate matters through their work with economically disadvantaged clients. Student attorneys interview clients, draft documents including wills, living wills and trusts, and may handle probate matters.
Texas Law has a large clinical programs with fifteen separate clinics focused exclusively on public interest issues.
Actual Innocence Clinic – Students investigate claims by inmates that they are actually innocent of the offenses for which they are incarcerated.
Capital Punishment Clinic – Students assist in the representation of indigent defendants charged with or convicted of capital offenses.
Children's Rights Clinic – Students represent children as attorneys ad litem in cases where the state seeks custody or termination of parental rights.
Civil Rights Clinic – Student represent low-income clients in a range of civil rights matters.
Criminal Defense Clinic – Students represent indigent defendants charged with misdemeanors.
Domestic Violence Clinic – Students represent victims of domestic violence with a variety of civil legal problems.
Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic – Students represent nonprofit organizations and individuals involved in community development and economic development in low-income communities.
Environmental Clinic – Students work with low-income communities on projects to improve environmental quality.
Housing Clinic – Students represent low-income families in their housing-related legal problems.
Human Rights Clinic – An interdisciplinary group of law students and graduate students work on human rights cases and projects.
Immigration Clinic – Students represent low-income immigrants before the immigration courts and the Department of Homeland Security.
Juvenile Justice Clinic – Students represent indigent juveniles charged with a range of criminal offenses.
Law and Religion Clinic – Students represent individuals and groups of all faiths who face challenges to their religious liberty.
Supreme Court Clinic – Students assist in representing clients who are seeking review of lower court decisions or who have cases before the Supreme Court following grants of certiorari.
Transnational Worker Rights Clinic – Students represent low-income immigrant workers to recover unpaid wages and advocate for worker rights.
The Clinic Program
The objectives of the 700-hour clinic requirement are both educational and service-oriented. The educational objectives are to provide students with a well-rounded legal education by delivering professional skills instruction in a realistic lawyering environment and to provide students with lawyering experience in varied practice settings. The service objective is to provide valuable legal services to economically disadvantaged residents of the District of Columbia in the course of educating students to be lawyers. The School of Law provides millions of dollars worth of free legal services to thousands of low-income residents.
The Community Development Law Clinic and Small Business Law Project engage primarily in transactional law practice, representing for-profit and non-profit businesses. The clinic's clients are community-based non-profit organizations and small business owners. Students in the clinic provide legal services to clients on matters such as contract negotiation and drafting, real estate purchase and finance, regulatory compliance, choice of entity and other organizational decisions, trademark and copyright, directors' and officers' duties and liability, and tax exempt status.
The HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic represents persons infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus, an HIV+ mother may come to the clinic for assistance in obtaining disability benefits for her child who has AIDS. After building a relationship of trust with the lawyers, as well as her case managers trained in social work, a mother will be ready to work on life planning for herself, durable powers of attorney, a will, and a custody arrangement for the care of her child when she dies. A mother also turns to the student lawyers and the clinical supervisors for assistance with legal issues such as job discrimination, housing, special education, consumer problems, child support, and bankruptcy. The HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic collaborates with other UDC-DCSL clinics to provide specialized legal assistance in areas such as housing and special education.
The Housing and Consumer Law Clinic engages primarily in trial and administrative advocacy. Students in the clinic represent individuals and groups in eviction defenses and in cases relating to habitability, illegal rent increases, repairs, predatory loans, fair housing, and miscellaneous torts. Students also represent consumers against merchants in disputes involving sales and services.
Law students and faculty supervisors in the Juvenile Law Clinic primarily represent children and parents or guardians in special education matters. The children who are the subjects of these special education matters are, almost without exception, also the subjects of either delinquency matters or neglect matters. The Juvenile Law Clinic faculty members have pioneered, and continue to develop, a nationally-acclaimed approach to combating delinquency and child neglect by identifying and enforcing special education rights on behalf of those children and their parents/guardians.
The Legislation Clinic presents legislation as a major tool for lawyers seeking to effect legal reform and establish rights for disadvantaged segments of society; and researching, analyzing, drafting, as well as advocating for passage of legislation are important lawyering tasks. As one of its primary goals, the clinic seeks to train students to be knowledgeable and effective advocates in every major phase of legislation on both the national and state/local levels and to enable students to seek law reform through legislative advocacy. In addition, each student is assigned to work on one or more legislative projects consistent with the mission of the School of Law -- either in Congress or the Council of the District of Columbia.
Pacific McGeorge offers a variety of opportunities for students to work with real clients in real situations through its clinical programs. Clinical programs afford students the chance to learn while helping those without ready access to representation.
Faculty Supervised Clinics:
Administrative Adjudication Clinic
The Administrative Adjudication Clinic is designed to train students to be administrative judges using a variety of instructional approaches including classroom instruction, observations, simulations and research assignments. The Clinic works in partnership with the Capital Center for Government Law and Policy to give students the chance to act as administrative judges. Once students are trained, they will be assigned to hear and decide a number of administrative disputes for local cities and other public agencies who have contracted with McGeorge's Institute for Administrative Justice (IAJ) for hearing services. Students gain invaluable insight into mediating inter-governmental disputes and making sure the interests of citizens is protected.
Bankruptcy Clinic
The Bankruptcy Clinic provides a practical skills experience in insolvency issues and proceedings. Enrolled students interview and counsel clients, and assist clients in all aspects of case assessment, negotiation and settlement, and representation of debtors and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California. Through the Clinic, students are certified by the court, and provide essential services to Californians facing the threat of bankruptcy, while maintaining the dignity of their clients.
Elder Law Clinic
The Elder Law Clinic is designed to help students integrate substantive legal knowledge and practice skills in the growing field of law and aging. Students will provide legal advice and undertake representation of individuals 65 and older. Priority cases include nursing home residents' rights, conservatorships and alternatives, family law, social security, Medicare, SSI, health care access, housing, elder abuse, creditor/debtor disputes, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, and wills and trusts. Aging can mean vulnerability, and Pacific McGeorge seeks to provide much needed assistance and fair representation for persons of advanced age.
Federal Defender Clinic
Perhaps one of the most integral aspects of public service law is the representation of the accused. The Federal Defender Clinic provides students with the opportunities to represent indigent defendants in federal court, draft legal memoranda, argue motions and develop a working knowledge of criminal and sentencing statutes. Enrolled students will attend monthly Petty Offense Calendar before Magistrate Judges where they will be assigned cases, then hone their skills in client counseling, plea negotiation, case analysis, oral advocacy, litigation and trial techniques.
Immigration Law Clinic
While the issue of immigration can be a hot-button topic, the need for informed and compassionate representation is as high as ever. The Immigration Law Clinic provides a practical skills experience in identifying legal issues, providing legal advise and providing assistance in completing all legal correspondence between the client and the Department of Homeland Security. Enrolled students interview and counsel clients, prepare all legal documents needed to secure various immigration benefits such as naturalization, waivers of inadmissibility, lawful permanent residency, immigrant visas, and specialized visas such as U visas and T visas. Students work in a rewarding environment, assisting those in search of the American dream.
Parole Representation Clinic
Pacific McGeorge students have a hands-on opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals seeking to reenter society as productive members. Students represent California parolees in revocation hearings and have the opportunity to represent adult and juvenile parolees in administrative hearings. The Clinic allows students to handle cases from initial assignment through resolution at the hearing, including interviewing clients, developing case strategy and advocating for your clients at their parole hearings.
Victims of Crime Representation Clinic
Crime victims are faced with a multitude of challenges, none of which should be the lack of zealous and effective representation. Pacific McGeorge's Victims of Crime Representation Clinic and Seminar educates students about the role of the crime victim in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. The course focuses on the constitutional and statutory rights of crime victims and the difficulties inherent in exercising those rights.
Other Clinical Opportunities:
Legal Services of Northern California Landlord-Tenant Clinic
The Landlord-Tenant Clinic at Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) is a volunteer opportunity designed to introduce students to public interest law. Each student gets extensive training on landlord-tenant laws and intake interview techniques. The clinic is a unique opportunity for students to be exposed to many different housing issues that affect the low-income community in Sacramento County. Volunteers will gain experience interviewing clients, assessing the merits of cases, and preparing pleadings.
Rural Education and Access to Law (REAL)
The REAL program is not a traditional clinic; students travel to rural areas of California to meet their clients in the field. Pacific McGeorge students have the opportunity twice per year to volunteer to travel on the PIC "Justice Bus" to underserved communities in rural northern California.
The College of Law Legal Clinic
The Clinic is a one semester, 4 credit hour course in which student interns provide direct legal representation, under the supervision of clinical faculty, to clients within the community who cannot afford to hire private legal counsel. The Legal Clinic combines a structured classroom curriculum with individualized instruction and collaborative learning opportunities to prepare interns to competently represent clients, grapple with complex ethical issues, critically examine the law and legal profession, and advance the social justice mission of the law school. Current practice opportunities in the legal clinic include civil rights, housing, immigration and asylum, family law, social security disability, real estate, contracts, tort defense, elder law, nonprofit community work, and sexual orientation law.
The Dispute Resolution Clinic
The Dispute Resolution Clinic is a one semester, two or four credit hour course open to upper-division law students. The Dispute Resolution Clinic offers students a unique blend of both an in-house clinic and an external placement. Students serve as volunteer mediators in a variety of settings including the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center and Toledo Municipal Court. Students mediate cases involving unruly and delinquent youth and small claims matters such as consumer complaints, landlord and tenant disputes, automobile accidents, and minor criminal matters. In addition, students in the Clinic now offer mediation services "in-house" to The University of Toledo community. In preparation for their fieldwork, students are required to complete a two-day, 16 hour basic mediation course approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio, prior to the start of the semester.
The Domestic Violence & Juvenile Law Clinic
Students in the Domestic Violence & Juvenile Law Clinic represent clients, under the supervision of clinical faculty, in cases involving child custody, protection orders, adoptions, and child abuse and neglect. The clinic seeks to represent survivors of domestic violence in any case it accepts.
Criminal Law Practice Program
The Criminal Law Practice Program is a one semester course in which students work on criminal cases in local prosecutor offices. The course builds prosecutorial skills and values by exposing students to actual practice in a prosecutor office.
Immigrant Rights Project
The Immigrant Rights Project is a one-semester, four-credit clinical program in which law students represent non-citizens in immigration matters. The Immigrant Rights Project's clients primarily includes persons seeking asylum in the United States as a result of persecution or a fear of persecution in their home countries. The clinic also represents non-citizen victims of domestic violence, unaccompanied non-citizen minors, or other non-citizens subject to removal and immigration detention. Representation occurs in adversarial administrative hearings before immigration judges; in non-adversarial agency interviews; in appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals; or, in appeals to the federal courts.
Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network
TIRN is a service oriented program, designed to reach broadly many members of the non-citizen community in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood, and beyond. TIRN complements the Immigrant Rights Project. TIRN has three primary goals: 1) Create and Train a network of local attorneys to provide pro bono representation to vulnerable immigrants; 2) Educate the community, especially the immigrant community, on legal rights and immigration remedies; and 3) Offer direct representation to immigrants, including those in removal proceedings, in the Kendall-Whittier and surrounding neighborhoods.
Social Enterprise and Economic Development Law Project (SEED)
The SEED Law Project teaches transactional lawyering skills to student attorneys through the representation of small businesses and community-based organizations. It is a one-semester, six-credit course that provides students with both challenging client work and a rigorous classroom component. Under the supervision of Professor Patience Crowder, students provide direct, pro bono representation to SEED clients, which include entrepreneurs, community associations, and non-profit organizations. Client work includes drafting corporate formation documents; assisting nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt applications and maintenance of tax-exempt status; drafting and negotiating contracts and real estate transactions; acting as general counsel to small businesses and non-profit organizations; and working with local government agencies. Students research issues related to public policies that affect SEED clients and make presentations to community groups.
Appellate Litigation
Child Advocacy
Civil Rights Clinic
Consumer Law
Criminal Defense
Employment Law
Environmental and Regulatory Law
Family Law
First Amendment Law
Health Law
Immigration Law
International Human Rights
Innocence Project
Litigation and Housing Law
Nonprofit Clinic
Prosecution
Supreme Court Litigation
Children & Youth Advocacy
Environmental Law
Entrepreneurial Law –
>Federal Tax
Immigration Law – Representation of clients involved in immigration proceedings
Innocence Project Northwest
Legislative Advocacy
Mediation
Street Law
Tribal Court Criminal Defense
Unemployment Compensation
Find more information here.
Center for Patient Partnerships
The Center for Patient Partnerships is an interdisciplinary healthcare advocacy center and a national resource for strengthening the consumer perspective in health care. Graduate students from across campus come to the Center to work directly with individuals living with a serious illness. Students provide support and information related to a wide variety of substantive issues including internal insurance appeals, public benefit programs and health policy. A thirty hour orientation and weekly seminar on current issues provide additional learning opportunities. Second and third-year students can participate during the fall, spring or summer semesters. The Center offers a Consumer Health Advocacy Certificate for 12 credits.
Frank J. Remington Center
The Frank J. Remington Center is a law-in-action program of the Law School made up of clinical projects dedicated to teaching, service, and research. The Center provides law students with the opportunity to develop the substantive knowledge, professional skills, and judgment necessary to excel as attorneys; provides high-quality service in individual cases; and engages in empirical research necessary to bring about systemic improvements. Students receive course credit for their clinical work. The Center's many clinical projects are listed below.
http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/
Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons (LAIP)
The Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons Project, known as LAIP, is the largest of the Remington Center's clinical projects. In LAIP, students work under the direct supervision of clinical faculty to provide legal assistance to state and federal prison inmates throughout Wisconsin.
http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/laip/index.html
Criminal Appeals Project
The Criminal Appeals Project gives students an opportunity to be directly involved in the appellate process. Under the direct supervision of clinical faculty, students work in pairs on the appeal of two criminal convictions. The clinical, which is available to second- and third-year law students, requires a two-semester (fall-spring) commitment.
http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/crimappeals/
Family Law Project - Restorative Justice Project
The Family Law Project is a civil law project serving incarcerated clients. Students in the Family Law Project, like those in the Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons Project, work under the direct supervision of clinical faculty to provide legal assistance to state and federal prison inmates throughout Wisconsin. The clinical, which is available to second- and third-year law students, requires a two-semester commitment.
The Restorative Justice Project gives students the opportunity to practice mediation skills and assess the effectiveness of an alternative dispute resolution process by providing mediation between the victims of crime and the criminal offenders. The project is open to students who have completed their first year of Law School.
http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/rjp/index.html
Innocence Project
In the Innocence Project, UW law students, under the direct supervision of clinical faculty, investigate and litigate claims of innocence in cases involving inmates in state and federal prisons in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The Innocence Project is available to students who are accepted into the program in the summer after their first or second year of law school and requires a one year commitment (Summer full time, Fall 7 credits, Spring 2 credits).
http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/clinicals/ip/index.html
Reentry Project
The Reentry Project provides a wide range of legal assistance to clients who are on community supervision through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections' Division of Community Corrections. The clinic emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to legal representation and provides assistance to clients with civil, criminal, and administrative matters. Specific areas of assistance include housing law, employment discrimination, child support, disability law, correction of credit reports, revocation hearings, alternatives to revocation, early release from supervision, and disposition of criminal matters.
Economic Justice Institute
The Economic Justice Institute offers opportunities for students to work on various aspects of civil law addressing economic inequality and poverty, including alternative dispute resolution, consumer, employment, housing, family, and immigration law. EJI students have extensive client contact. The clinics housed in the Economic Justice Institute are listed below.
Consumer Law Clinic
The Consumer Law Clinic represents low- and moderate-income consumers in individual and class action lawsuits in federal and state courts. The Clinic operates year-round and is open to students who have completed their first year of law school. The Consumer Law Clinic trains students in all aspects of civil litigation.
Domestic Violence Immigration Clinic
The Domestic Violence Immigration Clinic assists immigrant survivors of domestic violence or victims of violent crimes as identified in the U-Visa statute. Students prepare immigration petitions for submission to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services through the Violence Against Women Act and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act.
Family Court Clinic
The Family Court Clinic is a clinical program designed to help make the legal system more accessible to low-income, unrepresented people with divorce, post-divorce, paternity, and restraining order matters. Students do not serve as advocates, but rather as facilitators/mediators, working with the parties to prepare cases for decision. Students undergo in-depth skills training in interviewing, counseling, and negotiations, and learn the nuts and bolts of family law.
Mediation Clinic
The mission of the Mediation Clinic is to train law students to provide a vital service to the community, helping members resolve pressing personal and legal conflicts. Of the many cases that are referred to the Mediation Clinic, a majority result in agreement between the parties.
Neighborhood Law Clinic
The Neighborhood Law Clinic provides a broad range of legal services designed to improve the economic well-being of low income clients, primarily in housing, employment and government benefits cases. The Neighborhood Law Clinic is open to students who have completed their first year of law school. The project is a full-year commitment, and includes a regular seminar in addition to the clinical work.
Government and Legislative Law Clinic
The Government and Legislative Law Clinic (GLLC) provides students with the unique opportunity to observe and participate in the many facets of governmental law, policy and the legislative process.
http://law.wisc.edu/gllc/index.html
Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic
The Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic is a two-semester transactional course providing students the opportunity to work with startup businesses and entrepreneurial clients. Legal issues include creating and maintaining the corporate entity, providing basic legal advice on contracts, intellectual property, employer-employee matters, tax, and other issues facing the startup business. Experienced business law and corporate attorneys provide guidance and supervision.
http://www.law.wisc.edu/academics/clinics/le/
Family and Child Legal Advocacy Clinic
The Family and Child Legal Advocacy Clinic offers participating law students education and experience lawyering by allowing students to form lawyer-client relationships directly with clients, to exercise legal judgment and perform legal services for those clients pro bono, including interviewing, counseling, research, discovery, negotiation, motion practice, trials, and appeals. Student attorneys handle civil, legal matters such as divorce, child custody, domestic violence protection orders, stalking and sexual assault protection orders, adoption, guardian ad litem appointments in juvenile and domestic relations cases, and select immigration issues. Law students may also represent children or their parents in child abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, children in need of supervision and delinquency actions. In addition, law students have the opportunity to work together with practicing professionals in the fields of social work, psychology, pediatrics, and psychiatry.
With close support and supervision of experienced and well-trained faculty, law students address the complex legal, social, emotional, ethical, and public policy questions involved in the practice of law. Students draft pleadings and correspondence, maintain contact with clients, attorneys and witnesses and participate in bi-weekly case status reviews of their cases. In addition, students receive training on how to most effectively engage and serve clients with limited means. Students are better prepared to participate effectively in the legal profession with grounding in lawyering skills and values necessary for the practice of law.
The Civil Legal Services Clinic
(CLSC, formerly the Legal Services Program) is the College of Law’s oldest clinic, having provided legal assistance to Wyoming citizens for over 20 years. Student interns enrolled in the CLSC represent low-income and marginalized individuals across the state who could not otherwise afford legal representation. The CLSC’s mission is to provide legal services in a broad range of general civil legal matters. As such, students' caseloads are diverse and touch on many areas of civil practice, including housing, consumer rights, education, veterans’ service-connected disability benefits, and other public benefits laws. Under the supervision of the Clinic Director, student interns interview and counsel clients, investigate facts, strategize case options, negotiate with opponents, draft pleadings, and argue in court. In addition, to provide student interns with hands-on exposure to the business realities of legal practice, they maintain case files while also managing time-keeping and other organizational activities. Depending on the need, students may also work on special projects including conducting research and providing support to advocates who are testifying on legislative matters. Finally, student interns work closely with the Wyoming legal community, developing important relationships that will support the students through their professional lives.
Criminal Practice Clinic: Students enrolled in Criminal Practice Clinic represent adults charged with criminal offenses and children charged with criminal offenses and delinquency.
Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic: The Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic will introduce students to civil litigation implicating First Amendment rights of persons and organizations otherwise unable to afford counsel for those matters. Casework will focus on free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly. Through, and in preparation for, the representation of their clients, students will learn the foundational principles of current First Amendment doctrine, including prior restraint, time/place/manner restrictions, content and viewpoint discrimination, and the intersection of the rights protected by the Amendment. New in 2019, this clinic is made possible by a grant from the Stanton Foundation.
Immigration Practice Clinic: Students in the Immigration Practice Clinic represent vulnerable low-income immigrants from all over the world before the immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and federal courts in humanitarian immigration cases.
Turner Family Community Enterprise Clinic: The Turner Family Community Enterprise Clinic allows students to represent small businesses and nonprofit organizations in a range of transactional matters, including entity formation, governance, tax, contracts, employment, intellectual property, and risk management. Projects may include creating a new business, drafting a lease or other agreement, or applying for tax-exempt status.
Youth Opportunity Clinic: Students enrolled in the Youth Opportunity Clinic represent young people (aged 16-25) who are at risk for criminal legal involvement by providing civil legal representation that will help them access opportunities in the areas of education, secure housing, and employment. Clinic students will learn about the school-to-prison pipeline and the collateral effects of the criminalization of youth through representing clients in proceedings such as school disciplinary hearings, housing evictions, and record sealing and expungement.
Legislative Clinic – The Legislative Clinic allows students to take advantage of internships in the Vermont General Assembly, where students are assigned to a standing committee of the state legislature. Under the supervision of the committee's chair and a legislative counsel, they complete legal research and draft projects relating to pending legislation
Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic – The Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, building on VLS's expertise in environmental and natural resources law and our extensive connections throughout the local, regional, and national conservation communities, provides student clinicians the opportunity to work on behalf of public interest, environmental, and conservation organizations to provide creative legal assistance on significant environmental problems.
Mediation Field Work – Mediation Field Work offers mediation services to parties involved in a variety of disputes, including landlord-tenant, consumer and neighborhood matters.
South Royalton Legal Clinic – The South Royalton Legal Clinic provides representation to indigent clients in civil matters such as family law, juvenile law and children's rights, Social Security, welfare and unemployment compensation, civil rights and civil liberties, landlord-tenant relations, consumer protection, bankruptcy, contracts, wills, and federally subsidized health care and housing. The Clinic recently has begun to provide some representation in immigration law, as well.
Find more information here.
Advanced Advocacy Clinic - A limited number of students who have already completed a semester in the clinical program may continue with their studies in an advanced setting. Admission and credit amount are determined prior to registration at the discretion of the faculty, in consultation with the Academic Dean.
Civil Justice Clinic - Students represent low-income clients in various civil matters, including family law, housing, and governmental benefits.
Clinic for Asylum, Refugee and Emigrant Services (CARES) - Students represent refugees who are seeking asylum in the United States because of threatened persecution in their home countries.
The Clinic for Law and Entrepreneurship – Students provide pro bono legal services to Philadelphia-area community enterprises, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Many of CFLE's clients promote social and economic equity and are under resourced.
Farmworker Legal Aid Clinic - Students represent agriculture workers living and working in Pennsylvania in a variety of legal matters, including worker's employment issues and matters associated with immigration status.
Federal Tax Clinic - Students represent low-income taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service and in the U.S. Tax Court.
Interdisciplinary Mental and Physical Health Law Clinic – Students represent low-income individuals with problems at the intersection of law and medicine, such as surrogate decision-making, pursuit of disability claims, and appeals of the denial of health benefits under Medicaid.
Appellate Advocacy Clinic
Child Advocacy Clinic
Community Law & Business Clinic
Elder Law Clinic
Innocence & Justice Clinic
Litigation Clinic
Washington DC Metropolitan Externship Program
Washburn University School of Law has an in-house law clinic. Students who have completed 50 credit hours of law school may enroll for 4 or 5 credit hours. The Law Clinic represents indigent clients in the areas of: debtor/creditor, consumer law, landlord/tenant, domestic relations, bankruptcy, adoption, juvenile law, child in need of care, criminal defense, and prison disciplinary hearings. Representation in these cases occurs in state courts, municipal courts, federal courts and appellate courts. Washburn also offers a separate mediation clinic.
Black Lung Benefits Clinic
Citizenship and Immigration Clinic
Community Legal Practice Center
Criminal Justice Clinic
Tax Clinic
Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse
- In the Civil Justice Clinic, students handle cases in areas including housing, consumer law, domestic relations and public benefits.
- Civil Rights & Community Justice Clinic students work at a variety of organizations on cases of alleged discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age and disability. Students also are trained as mediators.
- Through the Congressional & Administrative Law Clinic third year law students spend the spring semester in Washington, DC, working for either a Congressional Office or Administrative Agency.
- The Criminal Justice Clinic works with the Missouri State Public Defenders System and representing clients on criminal matters.
- Students in the Government Lawyering Clinic work in the U.S. Attorney's Office.
- In the Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic teams of law students and students from other schools at Washington University work together to provide legal and technical assistance to individuals and organizations on environmental and community health problems.
Appeal and Post-Conviction Advocacy Clinic; Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic; Community Advocacy Clinic; Business and Community Law Clinic; Disability Law Clinic; Immigration Appellate Advocacy Clinic; Legal Advocacy for People with Cancer Clinic
Clinical Law Program - https://www.law.wvu.edu/clinical-law
Immigration Clinic - A five-credit hour experience representing immigration clients under the supervision of faculty and adjunct faculty experts.
The School of Law offers its students a number of clinical opportunities which cover a range of practice areas. These clinics include:
- Criminal Prosecution Clinic. Students prosecute real cases for the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. Under the direction of an experienced Assistant District Attorney, students research, prepare, and litigate actual cases from the Hampden County Court System. This clinic gives students a firsthand look at each aspect of the trial process.
- Criminal Defense Practicum. Students work as student defense attorneys at the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), representing indigent clients within the Hampden County District Courts, which includes a mix of both misdemeanors and felonies.
- Elder Law Clinic. Students represent elders in a range of matters, including planning for incapacity with powers of attorney and heathcare proxies, planning for the disposition of property at death via joint ownership, beneficiary designation, and simple wills, and planning for eligibility for public benefits for long-term care.
- Family Mediation Clinic. Students mediate family law cases at the Hampden Probate and Family Court. The clinic includes observing and learning the court process, and involvement in the screening process in conjunction with the mediation and training.
- Immigration Clinic. Students work at the office of the Central West Justice Center, a subsidiary of Community Legal Aid. Students work on humanitarian immigration cases, including applications for asylum for individuals fleeing persecution, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for abused, neglected, and abandoned children, relief under the Violence Against Women Act for survivors of domestic violence, and U visas for crime victims.
- International Human Rights Clinic. Students work collaboratively with domestic and international nongovernmental organizations, grass-roots organizations, solidarity networks, attorneys, stakeholders, and other institutions engaging in human rights work to advance political, economic, social, and cultural human rights across borders.
- Legal Services Clinic. The clinic is run by Community Legal Aid (CLA), a private, nonprofit organization that provides civil legal assistance to low income residents in western Massachusetts. Students learn about the practice of law, and engage in community service by providing essential legal services to those in need. Students may choose to participate in the Housing Unit (Landlord-Tenant Law) or Legal Services Unit (Dis¬ability, Employment, Public Benefits, Family, and Immigration Law).
- Small Business Clinic. Students provide legal services to local small businesses. Law stu¬dents work on start-up transactional legal matters, including choice-of-entity, employment policies, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property issues. The clinic acts as a catalyst for economic development in western Massachusetts.
More information about clinics at the School of Law may be found at https://www1.wne.edu/law/experiential/clinics.cfm.
The Western State Legal Clinic accepts a wide range of public interest cases.
Bankruptcy Clinic - Students represent clients before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). Widener student attorneys help provide relief from sometimes crushing, disheartening debt for indigent clients in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Student attorneys conduct interviews and do research, develop strategies with Professor Nathaniel Nichols, negotiate with creditors and proceed in federal court with Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and related cases.
Delaware Civil Clinic - The Delaware Civil Clinic provides free legal services to indigent clients with civil legal problems and operates in conjunction with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services(DVLS), the pro bono arm of the Delaware State Bar Association. Third year students are admitted to the limited practice of law pursuant to Delaware Supreme Court Rule 56 and represent clients in Family Court.
Environmental Law Clinic - Widener students work with a regional public interest law firm in litigating violations of environmental laws. They interview clients and witnesses, investigate polluters, and research the applicable laws. They discuss and prepare case strategies with professors and other attorneys; draft pleadings, motions and agreements; and appear in courts throughout the Mid-Atlantic region on behalf of Clinic clients.
Harrisburg Civil Law Clinic - Students represent clients in a variety of matters. Students are assigned a caseload of between 5 and 10 cases. A student's caseload will typically contain a mix of case types, although virtually every student will represents at least one divorce client and at least one bankruptcy client. The students are responsible for maintaining the files, corresponding with clients, negotiating with opposing counsel, and representing clients in court. Students are given maximum independence in seeking decisions on how to handle their cases. The students interview clients, negotiate with opposing counsel, and when needed, try cases in court. Faculty members are always available to provide help when needed, but the students benefit from the direct involvement that only a clinic can provide.
Pennsylvania Civil Clinic - Students represent clients in family law matters often arising from financial problems leading to bankruptcy proceedings. Students practicing family law regularly appear before hearing masters and judges. Students handle matters such as custody, increase or reduction of child support orders, contempt petitions, and name change petitions.
Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Clinic - Students represent indigent persons accused of crimes in the Pennsylvania state courts of Chester County (West Chester). Widener student attorneys also regularly join Professor Judith Ritter in the post-conviction representation of defendants on death row, crafting briefs to be filed with the Supreme Court of the United States.
Veterans Assistance Program - Students represent disabled veterans and/or their dependents before the Department of Veterans Affairs and Article I and Article III Federal Courts that handle veteran matters.
Delaware Civil Law Clinic - The Delaware Civil Law Clinic (“DCC”) provides free legal services to survivors of domestic violence seeking civil legal protection from abuse, as well as child custody, visitation and divorce matters. Legal representation also includes preparing wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives for elderly and terminally ill clients. The DCC operates in conjunction with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, Inc. (DVLS), the pro bono arm of the Delaware State Bar Association. Third year students are admitted to the limited practice of law pursuant to Delaware Supreme Court Rule 56 and represent clients in Family Court. More information may be found at: https://delawarelaw.widener.edu/current-students/jd-academics/experiential-courses/clinics/delaware-civil-law-clinic/
Environmental & Natural Resources Law Clinic – provides free legal representation to individuals and organizations confronting environmental issues arising out of federal, state and local laws. The Clinic handles cases such as appeals of regulatory decisions and enforcement of environmental laws, as well as advising client who seek advice or educational or legislative assistance. More information may be found at: http://delawarelaw.widener.edu/prospective-students/jd-program/jd-academics/clinics/environmental-law-and-natural-resources-clinic/
Innocence Delaware Legal Clinic- partners with the non-profit organization Innocence Delaware that provides legal representation to people unjustly incarcerated in Delaware for crimes they did not commit. More information may be found at: https://delawarelaw.widener.edu/current-students/jd-academics/experiential-courses/clinics/innocence-delaware-legal-clinic/
Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Clinic – provides representation to people in Chester County who are indigent and charged with misdemeanors in state court. Clients are referred to the Clinic by the Chester County Public Defender. Students are certified by PA Supreme Court to represent clients in court under direct supervision of Clinic Director and Clinic Professor. http://delawarelaw.widener.edu/prospective-students/jd-program/jd-academics/clinics/pennsylvania-criminal-law-clinic/
Veterans Law Clinic – Provides free legal representation to low-income, disabled veterans and their dependents for appeals to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Clinic handles cases regarding disability compensation, needs-based pension, Section 1151 claims (malpractice-type claims against the VA), VA overpayment waivers, and dependency and indemnity compensation (survivor benefit). The Clinic also handles discharge upgrade applications and wills and related documents. More information can be found at: http://delawarelaw.widener.edu/prospective-students/jd-program/jd-academics/clinics/veterans-law-clinic/
The Clinical Law Program provides students with hands-on, professional experience in actual law practice. The program is generally the capstone of a student’s legal education at Willamette. The program asks second- and third-year law students to apply the doctrinal knowledge mastered in their fundamental coursework to the actual practice of law. Students enrolled in the program represent real clients in actual cases and transactions under the close supervision of law faculty.
The Clinical Law Program comprises four advanced legal education courses, including specialized clinics in Business Law, Trusts and Estates, Child and Family Advocacy, and Immigration. Clients are primarily nonprofit corporations and people of modest economic means.
Clinical Law Program students are taught and expected to demonstrate the highest standards of excellence in all areas of legal practice, from mastery of substantive legal issues and procedures to unwavering professionalism and notable service to the greater community. The Clinical Law Program faculty also strives to instill an appreciation for the importance of reflection and balance in the practice of law. https://willamette.edu/law/programs/aao/clp/index.html
Students provide substantial unpaid, credit-bearing legal services through clinics and the Coastal Policy practicum.
The Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization (LSO) provides legal representation to individuals and organizations who cannot afford private attorneys. Students, supervised by law school faculty members and participating attorneys, interview clients, write briefs, prepare witnesses, try cases, negotiate settlements, draft legislation, draft documents, represent organizations and argue appeals in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Connecticut Supreme Court.
All LSO projects involve close collaboration among new students, experienced students and supervising clinical faculty. Investigating, developing and using facts are essential elements of lawyering and, therefore, of LSO's work. LSO also devotes special attention to ethical issues of professional responsibility and client-centered lawyering. Cases brought by LSO and its legislative efforts have helped make new laws protecting the rights of clients in the various projects. More information can be found here.
Here is a list of clinics run through the LSO:
Advanced Sentencing Clinic
Challenging Mass Incarceration Clinic
Samuel Jacobs Criminal Justice Clinic
Legislative Advocacy Clinic
Ludwig Center for Community & Economic Development
Housing Clinic
Veterans Legal Services Clinic
Worker & Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic
Other Law School Clinics include:
Appellate Litigation Project
Capital Punishment Clinic
Environmental Protection Clinic
Ethics Bureau
San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project
Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic
Alexander Fellows Program
In this selective program, students work as full-time law clerks for federal judges in the New York City area.
Bet Tzedek Legal Services Clinic
Students represent elderly clients or those with disabilities in civil matters, including cases involving entitlement to government benefits, housing issues, consumer matters, family problems and wills.
Consumer Rights Field Clinic
Students extern in consumer rights projects at selected legal services offices with advocates who are at the forefront of city- and state-wide consumer protection reform. Students assist in protecting the rights of low-income consumers against improper practices by the burgeoning third-party debt collection industry.
Criminal Appeals Clinic
Students receive intensive training in appellate advocacy, learn New York State criminal procedure, and argue an appeal in court.
Criminal Defense Clinic
Representing defendants charged with misdemeanors in the Manhattan Criminal Court, students work with clients from their initial interview through trial and sentencing.
Divorce Mediation Clinic
Divorce mediation has become an accepted alternative to litigation in the resolution of the complex issues raised in family restructuring. This course is designed to provide both practical mediation experience and theoretical insight into divorce mediation and family law practice.
Family Court Judicial Clinic
Students are placed for one-semester with a Family Court judge or with an attorney representing clients in Family Court.
Family Defense Clinic
The field clinic examines child welfare law and policy, and offer students litigation experience in high-stakes child neglect proceedings.
Holocaust Claims Restitution Practicum
The first of its kind at an American law school, this one-semester clinic has students investigate and pursue claims made by Holocaust survivors and their heirs.
Housing Rights Clinic
Students assist in providing advice to unrepresented litigants in Housing Court and may work with the clinical supervisor on housing law reform projects, an intensive lawyering experience that includes litigation and public policy.
Human Rights and Genocide Clinic
A one-semester introduction to international human rights litigation and advocacy in coordination with nongovernmental organizations and United Nations offices here and abroad.
Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic
In this year-long clinic, students represent immigrants facing deportation in immigration court and in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Innocence Project
The model for similar programs in law schools around the country, this innovative clinic was founded and supervised by Prof. Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. Students represent convicted prisoners in their claim of innocence through post-conviction DNA testing.
Intensive Trial Advocacy Program (ITAP)
A two-week intensive practicum in which second- and third-year students learn and practice litigation skills in a simulated courtroom experience.
Labor and Employment Law Clinic
Students in this year-long clinic represent clients of various labor and employment law matters arising under the wage and hour laws, collective bargaining agreements, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Unemployment Compensation Law.
Mediation Clinic
The centerpiece of Cardozo's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, this clinic is where students learn to become problem solvers and develop communication, negotiation, and drafting skills. Students mediate disputes between landlords and tenants, family members, neighbors, community groups, business partners, and teachers and students.
New York City Law Department Appeals Division Practicum
students work in the Appeals Division of the New York City Law Department (also known as the Office of the Corporation Counsel ) . The Law Department serves as attorney and counsel for the City of New York and City agencies in all legal matters.
Prosecutor Practicum
Students in this full-time internship work as student assistant district attorneys at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Securities Arbitration Clinic
Students serve as advocates for claimants in securities arbitration and mediation cases.
Tax Clinic
Students have primary responsibility in representing clients with tax controversies.
Youth Justice Clinic
The Youth Justice clinic provides a unique opportunity for an in-depth experience working with youth and their communities in New York's criminal justice and education systems. Students will represent young people in the Bronx in school suspension hearings where that student is also charged with a criminal offense.
12/16/2022