The College of Law Clinical Programs ______Fall Semester
PRIORITY APPLICATION FORM ______Spring Semester
CIVIL ADVOCACY CLINIC ▪ DISPUTE RESOLUTION CLINIC ▪
JUVENILE LAW/DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CLINIC
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Applicant Information:
Name: / ______/ E-mail:______Rocket ID No: / R______/ Current GPA: / ______
Address/Street: / ______/ Semester Hours Completed:* / ______
City/State/Zip: / ______/ * Number of semester hours you expect to have completed by the start of the semester in which you seek to enroll.
Expected Graduation Date: ______
Phone: / ______
PLEASE INDICATE WHICH CLINIC or CLINICS YOU ARE APPLYING FOR. YOU MAY INDICATE YOUR CLINIC PREFERENCE IN ORDER. (FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD CHOICE etc.) If there are more applicants than an individual clinic can accommodate, you may be placed into your second or third choice. Therefore, please indicate below if you have a strong preference for a specific clinic, and please explain your reason(s) for that preference. If there is a clinic that you do not want to take or cannot take due to a scheduling conflict, MARK “N/A” NEXT TO THAT CLINIC.
Dispute Resolution Clinic __ 1 __2 __3 __N/A ______2 or _____4 credits
Juvenile Law/Domestic Violence Clinic __ 1 __2 __3 __N/A 4 credits
Civil Advocacy Clinic __ 1 __2 __3 __N/A 4 credits
Reason(s) for preference: ______No preference
Please list all clinical work and other practical legal experiences that you have had during law school. (If you have ever been involved in a legal proceeding, please see the respective Clinical Professor to discuss potential conflicts. All matters discussed shall be kept strictly confidential.)
Applications may be submitted via e-mail to Jennifer Fitzgerald (). You may also submit them to Jennifer Fitzgerald in the Legal Clinic (LC 1035.) For questions, please call the Legal Clinic (419) 530-4236.
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Office use: Notes:
Student enrolled in: DRC JL/DV Clinic Legal Clinic
Wait list for: DRC JL/DV Clinic Legal Clinic
CLINIC INFORMATION / COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
The Dispute Resolution Clinic is a two (2) or four (4) credit hour course in which students serve as mediators in a variety of cases in the Lucas County Juvenile and Toledo Municipal Courts. This fieldwork experience provides the students with actual hands-on training in the rapidly expanding field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Students in the clinic are educated in both theory and practical skills through coursework, classroom discussion, and exposure to practitioners in the field of mediation. The weekly classroom component focuses on listening and communication skills, mediation and negotiation techniques, and the role of the parties in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Students taking the course for two (2) credits are required to spend four (4) hours per week in court. Students taking the course for four (4) credits are required to spend eight (8) hours per week in court. Students are required to attend class twice per week for the first half of the semester. Classes will meet only periodically during the second half. Students are not required to be certified as legal interns. The clinic is open to all second and third year law students.
NOTE: Students are required to attend a mandatory four-day training session prior to the start of the semester. An announcement of training will be sent to the address provided on this application.
The Juvenile Law and Domestic Violence Clinic is a one-semester, four-credit course in which students provide legal assistance to clients in juvenile court and domestic violence cases. We primarily handle child custody and visitation cases, child neglect and abuse cases, civil protection orders, and adoptions. Students work under the supervision of clinical faculty and perform all of the traditional functions of a civil attorney, including interviewing and counseling clients, conducting legal research, developing case theories, engaging in discovery, negotiating with opposing counsel, drafting pleadings and other legal documents, presenting oral arguments in court, and taking appropriate cases to trial. The class will meet twice a week for a total of three hours, and students will be expected to complete readings for some class meetings. In addition, students are required to spend six hours per week in the clinic office.
The Civil Advocacy Clinic is a one semester, four credit hour course, in which student interns provide direct legal representation, primarily under the supervision of clinical faculty, usually to clients within the community who cannot afford to hire private legal counsel. The Civil Advocacy Clinic combines a structured classroom curriculum with individualized instruction and collaborative learning opportunities to prepare interns to competently represent their clients, grapple with complex ethical issues, critically examine the law and the legal profession, and advance the social justice mission of the law school. Current practice opportunities in the civil advocacy clinic
include civil rights, housing, immigration and asylum, family law, social security disability, real estate, contracts, tort defense, elder law, nonprofit community work and sexual orientation law.
Student interns are responsible for all aspects of their client’s cases, including interviewing, counseling, research, discovery, negotiation, pleading and motion practice, alternative dispute resolution, court appearances, trial preparation and practice, and appeals. Readings, classroom lectures, simulations and videos on expert models of lawyering skills complement the live client work. Students are required to keep office hours during the week between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (minimum of 6 hours) outside the regular class time.
NOTE:
In order for students to appear in court on behalf of their clients, they must have completed 59 semester hours and obtained a Legal Intern certification, available through the Registrar. Students who have not completed the number of required hours may still enroll in the clinic, however, court appearances will be handled by supervising clinical faculty.
Date/Time Stamp:______