Family Empowerment and Legal Access Clinic

General Description

 The FELAC information on the Website needs to be updated, specifically in: The Services to the Community, Eligibility Requirements/Prerequisites, and the Application Procedure and Selection Basis.

Services to the Community

The Clinic is primarily a brief advice and limited legal service provider. Students interview, counsel, and assist litigants involved in child custody and child support disputes. Clients are eligible for services if the children at issue reside in Allegheny County and the client is low income. Clients may reach the clinic through a variety of paths including referrals from community service organizations and the Client Services Center in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Family Division

Description of Seminar Component

The clinical seminars prepare students to succeed in their client representation and draw collective lessons from their fieldwork. Seminar intensity and frequency tapers as the year progresses. Prior to the commencement of the fall semester, the clinic meets for an intensive orientation session to lay the foundation for fieldwork. During the semester, students meet once a week for seminars devoted to a variety of topics. These topics include lawyering skills, substantive law, and the development of professional identity. As the semester progresses, seminars turn to rounds where students engage in group problem solving and skills practice.  In the spring semester, seminars cover advanced family law topics and shift to drawing lessons from fieldwork. 

Description of Fieldwork

Students in clinic interview and advise clients, conduct necessary fact investigation and legal research and draft related legal documents and filings. In some cases, students may negotiate resolutions with opposing parties or advocate for a client’s interest before the Allegheny County Family Division’s Pro Se Motions Court. Fieldwork is supported through rigorous supervision meetings conducted consistently and frequently during the semester. Students meet individually with clinical faculty on a weekly basis where they engage in case planning, strategizing and reflection.

The exciting and impressive responsibilities of transitioning to law practice in clinic can come with unpredictability and demands on a student’s time. Students are expected to complete 107 hours of fieldwork in the first semester for 2.5 credits, and 127 hours in the second semester for 3 credits. Students are encouraged to discuss any concerns they have with clinical faculty prior to registration.

Credits

8 credits

Transcript / Awarding of Credits

Students must complete 2 semesters, with 4 credits being awarded each semester.

Extension

No.

Eligibility Requirements / Prerequisites

  • To enroll, students must have completed four semesters of law school and be available on either Tuesday OR Thursday mornings from 8:30 – 12:30 PM to staff the Legal Advice Clinic at the Court of Common Pleas. Application Procedure and Selection Basis Enrollment is through application only. 
  • Interested students shall submit an updated resume and a one-paragraph statement of interest to Nancy Alemany-Alvarez (nma63@pitt.edu)
  • Interested students will then meet with Professor Adawi prior to being cleared to enroll
  • Once they accept their seat, faculty permission is required to drop the course to ensure that students are provided with a reliable learning environment.
  • Students who have taken family law will be given preference.
  • Students selected for the fall semester are automatically guaranteed enrollment in the spring semester, although they still must register for the second semester.

Application Procedure and Selection Basis

Enrollment is through the random registration process of the law school. Students must enroll for two semesters unless otherwise approved by the professor. Students selected for their first semester are automatically guaranteed enrollment in their second semesters, although they still must register for the second semester.

Faculty / Staff

Jabeen Adawi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law

Drawing from her expansive background in litigation and systems-solution building, Professor Adawi guides students in the clinic through individual lawyering growth to discover their potential for impact.  Throughout her career, Professor Adawi has been actively engaged in training and educating other professionals, which she now carries forward in her role as a professor. Professor Adawi grew her roots as an educator as a Clinical Teaching Fellowship at the Georgetown University Law Center’s Domestic Violence Clinic.  There, she taught and supervised law students engaged in intensive litigation, helping them develop their strategic thinking, counseling, and litigation skills.

Nancy Alemañy Alvarez, Administrative Assistant