Clinics

Appellate Clinic (2 cr.) D/N 808 Students represent indigent clients in civil or criminal appeals. Conducted under the supervision of clinical faculty, students are responsible for all aspects of representation, including client communication, drafting motions and briefs to the Indiana Court of Appeals, presenting oral argument and litigating a petition to transfer to the Indiana Supreme Court. P: Completion of 45 credit hours, Criminal Law (D/N 533), Intramural Moot Court (D/N 746), and completion of or enrollment in Professional Responsibility (D/N 861). The following courses are strongly recommended: Evidence (D/N 632), Criminal Procedure: Investigation (D/N 702), and Appellate Practice (D/N 810). Students must submit an application and receive instructor approval prior to registration.

Child Advocacy Law Clinic (3 cr.) D/N 808 The Child Advocacy Law Clinic is an opportunity for second- and third-year law students to work with Kids' Voice, a nonprofit agency in Marion County that represents the best interest of children as Guardians ad Litem (GAL) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in abuse and neglect, juvenile, and civil disputes. Students will be assigned live-client cases and be supervised by Kids' Voice attorneys. Students will be certified CASA and GAL volunteers in the State of Indiana at the end of their training. Students enrolled in the clinic will analyze the best interest standard against various legal rights and responsibilities and explore how various legal concerns such as human trafficking, immigration law, criminal law, and mental capacity, among others, impact the representation of children and their best interest. Students will gain courtroom experience in this clinic, and these credits qualify toward the experiential learning requirements for graduation. New for Fall 2022, students can become certified legal interns as long as they have completed 45 credit hours by the time of enrollment, and have taken or be enrolled in Professional Responsibility when taking the clinic. 

Civil Practice Clinic (3 or 4 cr.) D/N 808 Students represent clients in a variety of civil matters. These include domestic cases, such as dissolution of marriage, custody, support, paternity, and domestic violence; housing controversies; consumer problems; challenges to administrative decisions of state and federal agencies; and a variety of other general civil problems. This clinic is conducted under the supervision of clinical faculty, but students are responsible for all aspects of representation, including presentations in court and administrative hearings. P: Completion of 45 credit hours and completion of or enrollment in Professional Responsibility (DN861).

Criminal Defense Clinic (3 or 4 cr.) D/N 808 Students represent clients in criminal cases involving a variety of misdemeanor or Level 6 felony charges. Most cases are theft, prostitution, driving while intoxicated, and drug offenses. Students will gain valuable experience representing clients at bond hearings, pretrial hearings, guilty plea and sentencing proceedings, suppression hearings, and bench and jury trials. Under adjunct/faculty attorney supervision, students are responsible for all aspects of representation, including presentations in court. P: Completion of 45 credit hours, Criminal Law (DN533), Evidence (DN632), Criminal Procedure: Investigation (DN702) and completion of or enrollment in Professional Responsibility (DN861).

Housing, Health, and Human Rights Clinic (3 cr.) D/N 808 Students in the Housing, Health, and Human Rights Clinic engage in domestic human rights advocacy and litigation, usually concerning the key social determinant of health that is access to safe, secure housing. Students engage in advocacy in the form of litigation, negotiation, investigations and reports, and public education. Students must be available to attend during the semester at least five (6) sessions of eviction hearings in local courts (dates and times to be set before each semester) and be available for a Saturday five-hour training session the first weekend of the semester. Students must submit an application to be considered for this clinic.

Immigration Law Clinic (2 or 3 cr.) D/N 808 Students represent both detained and non-detained clients in immigration matters before federal administrative agencies under the supervision of the professor/counsel. Typical cases involve claims of asylum, family-based immigration petitions (including domestic violence), special immigrant juvenile petitions, and crime victim visas. Students are encouraged to enroll in the clinic for two consecutive semesters. The Course will be operated in conjunction with the Immigrants' and Language Rights Center at Indiana Legal Services. The Course is open to upper level J.D. students and LL.M. students. Completion of or enrollment in Immigration Law is strongly recommended. Students must receive instructor approval prior to registration.  

Reentry Clinic (2 or 3 cr.) D/N 808 Students enrolled in the reentry clinic serve the community in three distinct roles. First, as mentor advocates in the federal reentry problem-solving court in the Southern District of Indiana, students assist newly released probationers remove the barriers to reentry. Secondly, students offer residents living in high crime communities assistance and counsel with driver’s license reinstatement. Finally, reentry clinic students provide legal representation to people in need of specialized driving privileges. The reentry clinic requires a student commitment of two consecutive semesters. This course also requires completion of 45 credit hours and completion or concurrent enrollment in Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility and Administrative Law. Students need not be Certified Legal Interns in the first semester of enrollment but must be in the second semester of the clinic.

Wrongful Conviction Clinic (2 cr.) D/N 808 Students in the Wrongful Conviction Clinic represent indigent clients seeking relief from wrongful convictions in state post-conviction proceedings. In the classroom component of the course, students consider federal and state post-conviction remedies and the relevant issues, including eyewitness identifications, false confessions, informants, government misconduct, junk science, and DNA testing. Registration is for 2 credit hours per semester with a 2-semester commitment, pass/fail, with fifty hours of clinical activity required for each credit hour. Preference will be given to students eligible for certified legal intern status, but second-year students with a solid academic record and a commitment to criminal justice will be considered.