Sunday, July 4, 2010

Clinic experiences for evening law students

At law school, the legal clinics offer an opportunity to students to work on real issues with real clients. The University of Houston Law Center has a number of well-regarded clinics which are available to full-time students, or students who can commit to spending hours during the day. Sadly, no such program is offered (yet?) to the evening students. My thanks to Luke Gilman for the reference to:

David F. Chavkin, Clinic Under the Stars: Giving Part-Time Students Their Due, 13 Clinical L. Rev. 713 (2007). Some notes:

  • It's possible to have a clinic which includes part time students, even a clinic which involves litigation work. Such a clinic would be designed to give students who have full time jobs plenty of notice of court appearances so they can ask for time off work. It would have to be in a practice area in which appearances are not frequently reset.
  • ABA Standard 301(b) requires, in part, that "A law school shall ensure that all students have reasonably comparable opportunities to take advantage of the schools' educational programs, co-curricular programs, and other educational benefits."
  • ABA Standard 302(b)(1): "(b) A law school shall offer substantial opportunities for: (1) live-client or other real-life practice experiences, appropriately supervised and designed to encourage reflection by students on their experiences and on the values and responsibilities of the legal profession, and the development of one’s ability to assess his or her performance and level of competence; ..."
  • Clinic Under the Stars, p. 738 fn 67: "Although we refer to students in the evening clinic as part-time students, a better term for them would be 'more than full-time students.' ..."
  • Running a successful clinic for evening students requires a full time commitment from a full faculty member, and at times significant support services for the clinic students. Full time students can be expected to handle "less important" tasks such as running to the courthouse to file a petition or send certified mail; clinic faculty might take on a more active support role so the limited time that evening students can commit to a clinic is better spent.

I wonder: how many evening students at UHLC would participate in a clinic, given Professor Chavkin's estimate that it requires an evening and weekend commitment of on the order of 26 hours per week for seven credits? If it were available, would I dedicate a semester to such a class for the practical experience it offers to me, and the legal assistance it offers to the clients?

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