Community Advocacy Lab Clinic
Course Information
- Course Number
- L9362
- Curriculum Level
- Upperclass
- Areas of Study
- Administrative Law and Public Policy, Civil Procedure, Litigation, and Dispute Resolution, Clinics, Externships, and Experiential Learning, Criminal Law and Procedure, Interdisciplinary Legal Studies, Lawyering, Leadership, Legal Profession and Professional Responsibility, Racial, Economic, and Social Justice
- Type
- Clinic
- Additional Attributes
- Experiential Credit
Section 001 Information
Instructor
Section Description
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.
- School Year & Semester
- Spring 2024
- Location
- JGH 546
- Schedule
-
Class meets on
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Points
- 3
- Method of Evaluation
- Other
- J.D Writing Credit?
- Minor (automatic)
Learning Outcomes
- Primary
-
- Students in the clinic will represent an organization using a range of possible lawyering strategies, including policy reform, legislative advocacy, court redesign and reform, and other non-litigation forms of systemic advocacy.
- Students in the clinic will develop a critical understanding of the complexity of poverty, social justice, and racial justice, across several areas of law (the areas vary by semester and include civil justice, housing, criminal justice, and youth issues).
- Students in the clinic will refine research and analysis skills across judicial, legislative, and administrative processes in federal, state, and local government.
- Students in the clinic will develop skills in gathering and analyzing information beyond legal code and doctrine, including quantitative and qualitative research and analysis and their use in advocacy.
- Students will develop professional skills including strategic thinking, problem solving, working with diverse communities, oral & written communication, collaboration, client counseling, project management, negotiation, & media relations.
- Students in the clinic will develop an understanding of professional responsibility, including the capacity to identify and resolve issues in live client matters.
- Students in the clinic will develop the habits of reflection to guide their future professional development
Course Limitations
- Instructor Pre-requisites
- None
- Instructor Co-Requisites
- None
- Recommended Courses
- None
- Other Limitations
- Enrollment is limited to 9 students per semester and is conducted through the clinic application process.