CECIL C. HUMPHREYS SCHOOL OF LAW
Clinical Legal Education
THE CLINICS....
CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC
The Child Advocacy Clinic addresses the CORE LEGAL SKILLS through representing the child in context. Student attorneys experience problem-solving, co-counseling, collaboration, meeting facilitation, and multidisciplinary consultation and practice that is essential in today's global society. Broadly grouped as "child advocacy," clinic cases offer practice in "holistic" child representation, including child abuse and neglect, foster care, delinquency, child custody, paternity, adoption, special education, or mental health, indeed, any legal forum necessary to meet each child's needs. Student attorneys also experience different roles and responsibilities, e. g. in one case representing a child's best interests, in another representing a child's legal interests or expressed wishes, or in yet another scenario representing the child's parent to promote the child's welfare. Through giving a vulnerable population "voice" in the legal system, the Child Advocacy Clinic awakens within students who will be tomorrow's litigators, advocates, lawmakers and judges a spirit of compassion, a sense of fairness, and an understanding of equal justice.
CIVIL ADVOCACY CLINIC
The Civil Advocacy Clinic provides student attorneys with a broad exposure to the theoretical and practical aspects of a general civil practice, preparing them for work in a variety of substantive areas of the law. Student attorneys experience the critical ability to grasp the multidimensional aspects and contextual nature of a client's legal problem and develop creative and effective strategies to reach a solution in a client-centered practice. The main focus is the opportunity to represent a client who has been sued or whose possible legal remedies include the filing of a lawsuit. This opportunity arises in a variety of substantive areas including housing, consumer, tort defense and family matters. Such cases provide trial experience or motion practice in General Sessions, Circuit or Chancery courts. Student attorneys practice CORE LEGAL SKILLS, while working with clients in planning for and carrying out their claims and defenses and in assessing litigation risks and damages. Beyond fundamental practice skills, student attorneys examine the values of professionalism and the institutional structures that limit equal access to justice by persons of low and moderate income.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLINIC
Violence and abuse are at epidemic proportions in our county. Most often, violence occurs between people who know each other. The result of such violence may be serious physical, sexual and psychological harm or even death. The DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLINIC, a collaborative effort between the University of Memphis Law School and Memphis Area Legal Services, is dedicated to assisting victims to break the cycle of violence. The DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLINIC exposes students to the psychological and social aspects of intimate partner violence and to core legal skills as they represent clients in contested order of protection hearings. The clinic's goal is to empower victims to create violence-free relationships through HOLISTIC PRACTICE by, for example, obtaining a divorce or resolving housing, debt, public benefits eligibility or other legal problems.
ELDER LAW CLINIC
The Elder Law Clinic affords student attorneys an opportunity to view clients in context and to serve them in totality, as envisioned in the tenets of elder law practice developed by the National Elder Law Foundation. Student attorneys develop CORE LEGAL SKILLS through representation of elderly clients across a broad range of substantive areas, including consumer protection, financial exploitation, predatory lending, real property issues, grandparent adoption, health care, contracts, Social Security, insurance and life care planning. Student attorneys also gain practical experience in problem solving, case analysis, transactional practice, administrative advocacy and litigation in General Sessions, Circuit, Chancery and Probate courts. Finally, as advocates for the elderly, student attorneys are afforded an inter-generational connection that allows them as adult learners to contemplate the effect our system of justice has had on the lives of a prior generation. This unique perspective challenges students to evaluate the progress made toward attainment of access to justice during the last century while simultaneously considering the shortcomings that remain to be addressed as they embark on their legal careers.
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