Access to Justice Clinic - Youth Justice Division

Students will work in teams of two and will be tasked with interviewing clients, gathering records and appropriate case documents, and compiling mitigation materials. Although the motions to seal will be filed pro se, students will assist the clients with both drafting and filing the motions. Students in this Clinic enjoy the same close supervision and mentorship that is a hallmark of the GW Clinics as well as the certification to practice as student-attorneys. The time commitment and scope of lawyering work involved in this Clinic, however, are far more limited than those in our traditional 4-6 credit clinics.

Seminar and Faculty Supervision In the seminar, students will study a number of topics including: (a) the structure of the DC juvenile delinquency system; (b) the actors involved in charging and detaining youth; (c) the roles of the two agencies tasked with pretrial/probation services for youth and pretrial detention/post-conviction commitment for youth, respectively; (d) issues commonly litigated in juvenile court; (e) relevant substantive and procedural law pertaining to juvenile detention, juvenile commitment, and juvenile recording sealing; and (f) the collateral consequences of court involvement. The seminar will also include instruction and training on the juvenile record sealing process, interviewing clients, obtaining records from various government agencies, gathering mitigation, and drafting motions to seal–all of which would then be put to use through the casework component. Finally, in the seminar, students will 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 other divisions of the Access to Justice Clinic.

Students will also be engaged in lawyering work. Students will meet with clients and assist them directly with preparing and filing motions to seal their juvenile records in DC Superior Court. This involves client interviewing, client counseling, legal writing, and client-centered representation, as well as cross- cultural humility and exposure to various DC agencies. Students in the Access to Justice Clinic – Youth Justice Division will leave this clinical experience with insight into the juvenile delinquency system as a whole, the collateral consequences for youth involved in that system, the role of a lawyer in access to justice, and the ways in which our system is unjust. They will also leave having engaged in lawyering work under the close supervision of experienced clinical faculty who seek to support students in their professional development, their lawyering skills, and their professional identity formation – all of which will serve students in their marketability and their job performance. 

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 the practice of criminal defense, access to justice, and/or advocacy on behalf of youth and/or those who have been marginalized. Students who have not yet been able to explore these areas should not be deterred from applying but should explain in their applications their interest in and enthusiasm about working on these issues.

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 Professor Lily Fabela Miller to discuss the Clinic generally or to ask specific questions. Permission of the instructor is required prior to registration. Students may not enroll in this course and in Law 6668 (Field Placement) unless they have the written permission of the Clinic Director and the Assistant Dean of Field Placement.

The Access to Justice 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, given the unpredictable nature of client representation.