Students who elect to participate in the Consumer Law Clinic will represent low- to middle-income clients who are experiencing legal problems. The topics likely to be confronted include mortgage fraud, auto fraud, unfair debt collections, credit reporting violations, abusive landlords, and insurance claim denials. Case selection will concentrate on issues that have a high probability for litigation.
Students will spend two hours per week in class:
- One hour will focus on specific skills, interviewing, drafting, discovery, etc.
- The other hour will be devoted to exploring each other’s cases and discovery issues that arise in the litigation.
Participating students will:
- Become familiar with the state and federal consumer protection laws
- Students will learn how to:
- interview and counsel clients
- draft legal memoranda and documents
- engage in case evaluation, fact investigation, and case planning
- identify legal claims and defenses
- communicate with opposing parties and counsel
- Many students, depending on the demands of assigned cases, will engage in formal discovery, draft and argue motions, and participate in settlement negotiations or mediations and trial.
Details of the Clinic
Credits: 6 credits per semester (6-8 students per semester)
To the extent slots are not filled by 6-credit students, 3 credits (2-4 students per semester)
Eligibility:
6-credit students: Completed 60 credits of law study, including Evidence and Professional Responsibility classes.
3-credit students: Completed at least 30 credits of law study, with preference given to those who have completed 60 credits of law study, including Evidence and Professional Responsibility classes.
Time Commitment:
Spring & Fall
3 credit students: 12 hours/week average
6 credit students: 24 hours/week average
Summer
3 credit students: 18 hours/week average
6 credit students: 36 hours/week average
