Course previously numbered 403B.
This five unit clinic is open to a maximum of twelve students. The class meets twice a week for a total of three hours and has a placement component at Student Legal Services on campus or at a community-based legal service organization. The class is graded. Students who have taken Law 703 or Law 713 will not be allowed to take this course due to overlap in course content. This version of the clinic provides more in-depth training on interviewing and counseling techniques than the four-unit Law 713.
The course�s main focus is on the interviewing process. In the classroom, students will engage in role-plays and discussions that explore models of what lawyers should do when interviewing clients and witnesses. There will also be a component on counseling. These models will be further explored through the field experience which consists of working an average of 8 hours each week at Student Legal Services in Dodd Hall (SLS) or at a community legal service organization of your choice. Approximately half the students work at SLS on campus. On the first day of class, representatives from various legal services offices will describe the opportunities at their placements. However, students can work at other legal services offices in the Los Angeles area that do direct client service work and whose lawyers are willing to provide an appropriate level of supervision.
During the field work component, students will interview and counsel clients about a variety of legal problems depending on the placement. (Subject areas might include landlord tenant disputes, immigration issues, general consumer problems, children�s rights, family law matters.) In addition to the 8 hours of work in the field, students may sometimes be required to devote additional hours each week conducting follow-up work on their cases either at home or at the law school.