Access to Justice Clinic - Family Law

In the 1-credit seminar, students focus on client counseling and interviewing, complaint and motions drafting, strategic thinking, ethics, and mediation. Classroom exercises prepare them for the legal work they will engage in. In the seminar, students also learn the substantive law they need to engage in their lawyering work. Finally, in seminar, students consider access to justice and how to reform our legal system to address bias, discrimination, and injustice. The seminar is taught collaboratively with faculty who direct the other divisions of the Access to Justice Clinic.

Students will meet with their supervisors on a weekly basis outside of the seminar to review and discuss case strategy and client counseling. Supervisors review and provide feedback on all documents and on all client counseling sessions. Supervisors will appear with students in hearings and negotiations. Finally, students will submit reflections on their performance and their case work.

Students will be selected based on their potential to provide high quality, client-centered legal services to our client population. Faculty will consider students’ interest in and commitment to access to justice, family law, domestic violence law, and/or mediation. In addition, faculty will consider past experiences in working directly with less advantaged clients. Students who have not yet been able to explore these areas should not be deterred from applying.

Interested students must fill out the Uniform Clinic Application from the Law School's student portal website under "Clinics," where a complete set of application instructions are posted at least a few weeks prior to registration. Students may contact Dean Kohn or Professor Rogus at any time to discuss the Clinic or to ask specific questions. Permission of the faculty is required prior to registration. Students may not enroll in a Field Placement and a Clinic at the same time without prior approval of both departments.

This 2-credit clinic is intended to provide a clinical experience to students who may not have the ability to devote more credits or time to lawyering work. At the same time, students will be engaged in the practice of law, which can be unpredictable and demanding. Students will be expected to devote an average of 7 hours per week to their Clinic work. The work will ebb and flow during the semester, requiring substantially more work when working under a particular deadline and less work between deadlines. We ask that students be prepared to be as flexible as possible and that they understand that litigation schedules are often driven by judges and clients rather than by lawyers. Students are required to attend a full-day Orientation either the weekend before classes begin or the weekend after.