The Legal Clinic is a one semester, two to seven (2-7) 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 their clients, grapple with complex ethical issues, critically examine the law and the 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.
Student interns are responsible for all aspects of their clients' cases, including interviewing, counseling, research, discovery, negotiation, pleading and motion practice, alternative dispute resolution, court appearances, trial preparation and practice, and appeals.
Course Material:
Texts, Fall 2009:
Essential Lawyering Skills, by Krieger & Nuemann, Jr., Third Edition (2007), Aspen Publishers ISBN 9780735564053
Special Projects:
The Human Rights Project is a community-based effort to protect the rights of area gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons through traditional litigation, educational outreach, legislative action, and community activism. Students enrolled in the Human Rights Project represent real clients in live settings under the supervision of clinical faculty.
The Human Rights Fellowship is a joint project between the College of Law Legal Clinic and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian and gay political organization. The student selected for the fellowship will work closely with clinical faculty at the College of Law and HRC lawyers in Washington, D.C. on cutting-edge civil rights issues. The fellow will undertake projects that may involve sophisticated legal research and writing, analysis and drafting of legislation and administrative regulations, and national coalition work.
The fellowship is offered for four credit hours and will involve some travel to Washington, D.C. (all expenses paid) for meetings with HRC attorneys. The selection criteria include excellent research and writing skills and a demonstrated dedication to civil rights causes.
