Civil Justice Clinic
SLN #: 73084Course Prefix: LAW-773
Course Section: 001
Credit Hours: 6
Instructor(s): Dauber;Karin
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
Students enrolled in the Civil Justice Clinic represent clients in civil disputes and administrative proceedings with faculty supervision. The Civil Justice Clinic is primarily handling the following types of civil cases: predatory mortgage lending cases, tenants rights, equity skimming cases and employment law matters. Students also represent non-profit clients on work-life policy issues, such as the proper role of government in supporting the needs of employees, employers, and the community in achieving greater access to flexible work arrangements, time off, and career maintenance. In addition, clients may include employees involved in wage-recovery actions, persons who have been wrongfully denied unemployment benefits, consumers who have been defrauded in commercial transactions, servicemembers and individuals facing the prospect of civil litigation. Students are responsible for handling all aspects of civil and administrative practice, including: representing clients in contested administrative hearings; drafting demand letters, pleadings, motions and appellate briefs; interviewing and counseling clients; conducting discovery in civil litigation; negotiating with other parties, representing clients in hearings, arbitrations, mediations and trials; and occasionally presenting oral argument in Arizona appellate courts and the Ninth Circuit. Most semesters, each student works on a written project, such as a motion, brief, complaint, in-depth legal memoranda, legislative testimony, regulatory comment, or position paper.
The Civil Justice Clinic is a graded course (6 credits), with grading based on a number of established criteria, including diligence and thoroughness in representing clients, and classroom participation. Students are expected to spend approximately 300 hours in the Clinic during the semester. Because the summer session is condensed, students should not plan on working another job during the summer semester. As a general guideline, students are expected to work 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, and 30 hours per week during the summer semester.
The Civil Justice Clinic includes a mandatory seminar that focuses on simulation exercises in such areas as: courtroom advocacy, interviewing, client counseling, fact investigation, civil discovery, and negotiation. Staffing meetings are held on Friday mornings, during which time potential cases are discussed and either accepted or declined by the law firm.
Evidence is a prerequisite for the summer semester and is a co-requisite in the fall and spring semesters. Enrollment during the summer session is limited to four (4) students.
NOTE: Please see the Clinical Program website for more details as well as the application. www.law.asu.edu/programs/clinic
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 6
Grading Option: Numeric Grade or Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: Yes
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Prerequisite: Yes, see course description
Special Withdrawal Course: Yes. Yes, the last day to withdraw without special permission from the Director of Clinical Programs is 1 month prior to the first seminar class.
Final Exam Given: No
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.