Community Advocacy Lab Clinic

Community Advocacy Lab is a one-semester clinic where students represent community groups, nonprofit organizations and government agencies using a creative and expansive range of lawyering strategies to create a more just legal system.

Clinic students develop and advance policy campaigns, design and evaluate legal services and access to justice programs, draft legislation and provide legislative advocacy tools, and act as problem solvers, innovative researchers, and strategic planners. Through this social justice advocacy, clinic students develop expertise in finding creative solutions to legal problems, reflect on the complex social and political aspects of legal problems, and develop lawyering skills that reflect the range of strategies beyond litigation that lawyers can use to create change. In doing this work, students develop a critical understanding of the complexity of poverty, social justice, and racial justice across different areas of law.

Community Advocacy Lab students work closely with the clinic director, colleagues, clients, and community members. Students attend weekly supervision meetings with the clinic director and work with clients and colleagues during weekly office hours. Students participate in a classroom seminar that addresses the theoretical and substantive bases of their work; provides opportunities to reflect on ongoing client representation; and
provides skill development in support of client work, including interviewing, research and information gathering, policy, legislative, and strategic analysis, written and oral advocacy, collaboration, working with diverse communities, project planning and management, professional ethics, negotiation, and media advocacy skills.

There is no examination for this course. Grading will be based on the seminar (including assignments) and client work.

Enrollment is limited to 9 students per semester and is conducted through the clinic application process.