Health Law Clinic

Health Law Clinic is a medical-legal partnership with UPMC - Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  Medical-legal partnerships enable legal advocates to collaborate with a patient’s medical care team. Recognizing that acute, preventative, and rehabilitative care are only part of the whole health equation, the Health Law Clinic specifically addresses the role of income, education, caregiver stability, and self-determination on patient health.  Providing “legal care” in the form of access to counsel can mitigate the collateral impact on mental and physical health that legal problems can cause. Students in this clinic will receive substantive instruction in childhood SSI, adult guardianship, and special education law.  Students will have opportunities to represent parents of children with disabilities in administrative hearings, in Orphan’s Court, as well as in negotiations with area school districts.  The Health Law Clinic provides a meaningful opportunity to gain course credit while acquiring and developing practical legal skills.