Requirements

The Child Advocacy Clinic is a one semester, four-credit clinic offered in the fall and spring. It is open to second- and third-year students, with 3Ls getting priority. While there are no pre- or co-requisites for the CAC, students may find Family Law, Poverty Law, Evidence, Administrative Law and Trial Advocacy helpful in handling their cases. This clinic is rewarding, but demanding, and students should carefully consider this in light of their commitments. Part-time employment is discouraged and CAC participants must be willing and able to prioritize clinic clients (within reason) above other commitments.

All CAC students attend the pre-semester Child Protection Law Boot Camp. Students also take a weekly, two-hour seminar class and complete weekly reading assignments. In addition to participating in the boot camp and seminar class, CAC students set and maintain a minimum of 13 office hours each week, at least 10.5 of which take place in three uninterrupted blocks of time called Court Blocks. There can be periods of case activity which require significantly more than the minimum commitment in any given week.

There are 8 possible Court Blocks per week:

Students must schedule their other classes and commitments around their three Court Blocks and may not schedule any Court Blocks on a Wednesday. Students do not go to court during every Court Block. They reserve these blocks of office hours for the convenience of the courts. Typically, students spend most of their Court Blocks at the Law School’s Clinical Office or in the field.

Students keep track of their office hours by submitting weekly time sheets. All work done on cases counts towards the office hours requirement, including work at the Clinical Office, field visits, court visits and other offsite activities. Students must adhere to their office hours schedules, unless case developments and emergencies require otherwise. When this is the case, students receive credit for work done outside office hours and the minimum office hours for that week are reduced accordingly.

Contact us to learn more about Child Advocacy Clinic requirements.