CLINICS

KU Law students take the lead on real cases with real clients, honing practical skills while providing quality legal representation to underserved individuals and communities. Clinical offices are housed in the law school, and full-time KU Law faculty and staff attorneys supervise. Each clinic also includes a classroom component. For more information, visit law.ku.edu/clinics.

Legal Aid Clinic

Faculty: Melanie Daily and Meredith Schnug

The Legal Aid Clinic (Law 952) offers students the opportunity to fine-tune their lawyering skills in a fastpaced, live-client setting by representing low-income clients at the trial court level. The clinic’s caseload is divided into four general areas: • A criminal practice for juveniles charged with crimes in Douglas County District Court; • A criminal practice for adults charged with crimes and municipal violations in Lawrence Municipal Court; • A civil practice to provide legal assistance for individuals seeking name and gender marker changes through the Douglas County District Court; and • A civil practice that may focus on school discipline, mental health, race and educational equity, and other emerging matters.

Under faculty supervision, students assume primary responsibility for all aspects of their cases from initial contact to trial or other resolution. The Legal Aid Clinic is designed for students who are interested in learning about litigation, including client counseling, ethical case management, discovery, case analysis and negotiation.

Eligibility: All Legal Aid Clinic students must be eligible for a student license pursuant to Kansas Supreme Court Rule 719. Students apply to the clinic prior to the semester in which they wish to enroll. In spring and fall, Law 952 is a 6-credit course; in summer, students enroll in both 2.5-credit sessions for a total of 5 credits. Students who successfully complete Law 952 may also apply for the 3-credit course Advanced Legal Aid Clinic, Law 833.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: Professional Responsibility and Evidence are required; Trial Advocacy may be a pre- or co-requisite.

For more information, contact Melanie Daily at melaniedaily@ku.edu or Meredith Schnug at mschnug@ku.edu.

Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies

Faculty: Jean Phillips and Beth Cateforis

Students in the Project for Innocence (Law 895 and Law 896) provide assistance to prisoners who otherwise do not have legal representation. The clinic litigates claims of actual innocence, ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, newly discovered evidence and constitutional violations. Our representation extends to both district and appellate court litigation at the state and federal level. As a result, students engage in a variety of legal skills, including interviewing clients, conducting fact investigations, creating case strategies, locating and working with expert witnesses, drafting and filing pleadings and motions, preparing and conducting hearings, and preparing appellate briefs. In the process, students learn about the criminal justice system and the impact of its mistakes.

The Project is designed to engage students who are interested in either district or appellate court litigation, as well as those who are interested in criminal law.

Eligibility: Students are eligible to apply to the Project after the successful completion of the first year of law school. Students must apply to participate and can be selected for either the fall/spring semesters for 4 credit hours a semester (students must enroll in both semesters), or for the summer session for 3 credit hours a session (students must enroll in both summer sessions). Each semester/session satisfies either the upper-level writing requirement or the experiential requirement.

Pre- and Co-Requisite: Enrolled in both Law 895 (fieldwork component) and 896 (classroom component); Criminal Procedure, unless otherwise approved.

For more information, contact Jean Phillips at phillips@ku.edu or Beth Cateforis at escat@ku.edu.

Tribal Judicial Support Clinic

Faculty: Shawn Watts

Students in the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic (Law 998) provide research assistance to tribal court judges and personnel in projects that include tribal code development, legal research and drafting of legal memoranda, and judicial orders. Students are assigned research projects from participating tribal courts, and in the process have opportunities to meet with tribal attorneys and judges at tribal headquarters. In the past, clinical students have engaged in groundbreaking work for local tribes.

Eligibility: No application is required. Students enter the clinic by following standard enrollment procedures. Students can earn 3 credit hours for the semester. Participation in the clinic satisfies the Tribal Lawyer Certificate Program internship requirement.

Pre- or Co-Requisites: None

For additional information, contact Shawn Watts at shawn.watts@ku.edu.