Legal Empowerment and Judicial Independence Clinic - for JDs

LW.12856, Sec. 1 / LW.12857, Sec. 1
Professor Margaret Satterthwaite
Professor Katarina Sydow
Open to 3L and 2L students
Maximum of 8-10 JD students

Year-long course
12 credits*
Pre-Requisite: International Law or equivalent is recommended but not required. (See "Qualifications for Applicants" below.)

Course Description

Fieldwork

Students enrolled in the Legal Empowerment and Judicial Independence Clinic will:

Document, investigate, and verify information concerning attacks on judges, lawyers, and grassroots justice advocates
Analyze legal frameworks concerning the independence of the judiciary, the ability of lawyers to fulfill their crucial role protecting human rights, and the capacity of community justice workers to extend the reach of legal protections
Research thorny issues related to judicial independence, access to justice, and legal empowerment
Consult with affected communities, legal advocates, judges, and other key actors in the legal system

Seminar

Clinic seminar sessions will be time for participatory and highly interactive community discussion and learning. The seminar will include substantive readings on theories of judicial independence, the role of lawyers, and the rule of law, as well as access to justice, legal empowerment, and international human rights. Participation is required, and all community members should attend every session.

Qualifications for Applicants

A course in International Law or its equivalent is highly recommended. A course in International Human Rights Law is not a prerequisite for the clinic, but it is recommended. Fluency in a language in addition to English is useful; please note the languages you speak and write along with other qualifications in your application.

Credit Structure and Time Commitment Expected

This clinic is time‐intensive. Students will be expected to devote at least sixteen hours (often more) per week to their clinic fieldwork in addition to the time allotted to preparation for the seminar. Projects often require student work during winter and spring breaks. We strongly recommend that students speak to prior clinic students to get a sense of the workload and requirements.

Application Procedure

Students should submit the standard application, a resume and a grade transcript via CAMS and follow the clinical program’s timeline for JD applications. Selected student applicants will be contacted for an interview.

* 12 credits include 3 clinical credits and 3 academic seminar credits awarded each semester.