| LW.12261 / LW.12262 Professor Sarah Burns Professor Sarah Wheeler Open to 2L and 3L students; LL.M.s if space is available* Maximum of 9 students |
Reproductive Justice Clinic (Fall) 6 credits** Advanced (Spring) 5 credits*** No pre or co-requisites. Constitutional Law strongly recommended; Criminal Procedure and Federal Courts recommended |
Introduction
The purpose of this clinic is to train students in the legal knowledge and skill required to secure fundamental liberty and justice for people across their reproductive lives, with a particular focus on pregnancy and birth.
Course Description
The goal of reproductive justice is to preserve and expand the reproductive sphere as a space of unqualified liberty. Reproductive justice encompasses both affirmative and reactive litigation and non-litigation strategies to achieve reproductive fairness.
Fieldwork
Students in the Clinic work closely with partner legal organizations to gain insight into their respective working environments and strategies. Case law work is not geographically restricted and may involve state or federal law, both constitutional and statutory. The Clinic is also involved in advisory work related to substantive due process analysis.
Students interested in developing their legal research and writing will have an opportunity to do so by selecting fieldwork designated to have that focus. Some fieldwork will also enable students to develop lawyering skills other than research and writing.
The substantive content of fieldwork assignments will depend on the circumstances of particular cases. Elements of civil and criminal procedure and evidence are common, as are constitutional doctrines under the Bill of Rights. Students will also likely engage in statutory and regulatory interpretation and argument, and may work with federal court issues of procedure and justiciability in either habeas corpus or Section 1983 cases.
Seminar
Fieldwork is supported and reinforced by a weekly seminar that provides background education in litigation practice and project-specific support. Students learn about and weigh in on one another’s specific projects with an emphasis on goals and strategy.
Learning Objectives
General Lawyering Skills and Values
- Work with a team of other clinic students to be the legal interns leading the lawyering on your project.
- Employ client-centered lawyering and trauma-informed lawyering techniques across all lawyering activities.
- Engage in thorough preparation in advance of each lawyering activity and intentional critical self-reflection afterwards to enhance the transferability of lawyering skills and values.
- Construct and deconstruct narratives to represent your client more effectively.
- Evaluate yourself and provide feedback to your student colleagues in a safe, constructive environment.
- Improve capacities to manage uncertainty, exercise judgement, give advice, problem solve, and act.
- Effectively collaborate with your clients, fieldwork team, supervisor, other colleagues, and community partners.
- Work to recognize and challenge your own judgments and biases and build cultural responsiveness.
- Describe and implement norms of professionalism, including civility, timely and effective communication, and identification of and responsiveness to ethical issues.
- Use technology professionally, ethically, and effectively to advance your lawyering and learning.
- Maintain thorough, up-to-date, and accurate records of all lawyering activities for clients.
- Manage your time and cases to meet your deadlines and create professional work product.
Application Procedure
Students who are interested in applying should submit the standard application, resume and transcript online via CAMS. Applicants should submit as lengthy a response to Question 4 of the standard application as they feel necessary and should ignore the 300-word limit.
Faculty will hold one or more information sessions during the application period. Details by e-mail will go to applicants once the application deadline has closed.
Reproductive Justice Clinic - Advanced – Spring Semester
The Fall 2024 or Fall 2025 Clinic is usually required in order to take the Spring 2026 Advanced Clinic, but in pre-approved circumstances JD or LL.M. students may apply to the Spring 2026 Advanced Reproductive Justice Clinic without having taken the Fall 2024 or Fall 2025 Reproductive Justice Clinic. JDs interested in the Advanced Clinic option should raise it in their application to the Fall clinic. A demonstrated interest in reproductive justice is particularly valued.
The Advanced clinic involves a 2-credit seminar and 3 fieldwork credits. The Advanced Clinic will be taught by Professors Sarah Burns and Sarah Wheeler in Spring 2026. Students applying to the Reproductive Justice Clinic who are interested in a year-long experience should state this in their initial application to the clinic so their commitment to and interest in year-long work can be considered and accommodated in the admission process. Students who took the Reproductive Justice Clinic in a previous academic year qualify for the Advanced Clinic. If you were enrolled in a fall semester of the Clinic in a prior year and want to take the Advanced Clinic in a separate academic year, please contact the instructors directly and do not apply through CAMS. If you are an LL.M. student seeking to take the Advanced semester only, please submit an application via CAMS and also write to the instructors.
Note for LL.M.s
LL.M. students may apply to the Spring 2026 Reproductive Justice Clinic - Advanced without having taken the Fall 2025 Reproductive Justice Clinic. LL.M. students selected for the Advanced Clinic who have not taken an earlier fall clinic will receive an intensive introduction to the Reproductive Justice framework and the Clinic's work at the start of the Spring semester. Prior work or educational experience involving reproductive rights, health, or justice; anti-discrimination law; or gender justice is helpful but not required.
* Consult the Clinics Open to LL.M. Students page to see if the clinic is available to LL.M.s in the current year.
** 6 credits include 3 clinical (fieldwork) credits and 3 academic seminar credits.
*** 5 credits include 3 clinical (fieldwork) credits and 2 academic seminar credits.