In the Family Empowerment and Legal Access Clinic, students develop the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for a professionally effective and satisfying client representation practice. Students provide advice and limited legal representation to Allegheny County clients experiencing family law issues. Students are supervised by clinical faculty and certified by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to provide legal services to pro se litigants.
Seminar Component
The clinical seminars prepare students to succeed in client representation and draw collective lessons from their fieldwork. Seminar intensity and frequency taper as the year progresses. During the semester, students meet once a week for seminars devoted to various topics. These topics include lawyering skills, ethical considerations, substantive law, professional identity development, and family law. 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.
Fieldwork
- Students in the clinic interview and advise clients, conduct necessary fact investigation and legal research, and draft related legal documents and filings. Students sometimes negotiate resolutions with opposing parties or advocate for a client’s interest before the Allegheny County Family Division’s Motions Court or in other legal proceedings.
- Fieldwork is supported through rigorous supervision meetings conducted consistently and frequently during the semester. Students meet individually with clinical faculty weekly to engage in case planning, strategizing, and reflection.
- 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 three credits. Students are encouraged to discuss their concerns with clinical faculty before registration.
Credits
8
Transcript / Awarding of Credits
Students must complete two semesters, with four credits being awarded each semester.
Extension
No.
Eligibility Requirements / Prerequisites
To enroll, students must have completed four semesters of law school and taken the basic 3-credit Family Law course before enrollment.
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 semester.