Advocacy for Racial and Civil Justice Clinic (McClellan)
Meeting Times/Location
TR 1:30PM - 2:50PM
Tanenbaum Hall 345
Category
Clinics/Externships
Credits
0.0
The ARC Justice Clinic, the Law School’s newest in-house clinic, provides legal support to community members in the Philadelphia region organizing to address systemic racial justice problems in areas including education, public safety, and economic justice. Students will represent clients in litigation at the trial and appellate level under the direct supervision of Professor McClellan. Students will also learn to work with partners to develop an integrated advocacy strategy that incorporates organizing, policy advocacy, strategic impact litigation, and communications.
In addition to fieldwork, the clinic will include a bi-weekly seminar that will meet on Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30 to 2:50pm. The seminar will cover the substantive law at issue in their casework, foundational litigation skills, theory of movement lawyering, and ethical considerations important to social justice advocacy. Students have the opportunity to read about and reflect on historical and contemporary strategies for achieving racial justice. Students will also participate in case rounds, simulations, and other legal practice skills trainings.
The ARC Justice Clinic is located in Silverman Hall which includes client interview and conference rooms (equipped with video recording equipment), and computerized student work and research areas. Fieldwork and classroom components of the course are graded separately. Class attendance is mandatory.
Prerequisites: -Employment Discrimination -Constitutional Criminal Procedure -Community Lawyering to End Mass Incarceration -Constitutional Litigation -Discrimination in Education -Disability Law -Equity & Justice Lab -Law, Race & Communication Theory -Law, Technology & Access to Justice -Leading Social Change -Litigating Civil Rights Cases -Negotiations Boot Camp -Privacy & Racial Justice
PLEASE SEE IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES FOR CLINICS AVAILABLE ON THE REGISTRATION INSTRUCTION PAGE. You may not enroll in this course if: a) you are enrolled in another clinical course, or an externship in the same semester; or b) you are responsible for 1 or more incomplete grades at the beginning of the semester without express permission from the Clinic Director. You must appear at the first meeting of the course, or you may be automatically dropped from the course (unless you have advance permission from the instructor). The drop/add period for this course ends at 4 p.m. on the first Friday after the start of the course (one week prior to the end of the add/drop period for most law school course).
Students who elect to use their enrollment in the ARC Justice Clinic toward their public service requirement will receive one less credit for this course.
Skills Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of the individual course skill; Demonstrate the ability to receive and implement feedback; Demonstrate an understanding of how and when the individual course skill is employed in practice.
Constitutional Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of constitutional law; Perform legal analysis in the context of constitutional law; Communicate effectively on topics related to constitutional law; Demonstrate an understanding of constitutional law affects other areas of law.
Courts and the Judicial System Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of both substantive and procedural issues in the operation of our legal system; Perform legal analysis in the context of procedural issues and the judicial process; Communicate effectively on topics related to procedure and the judicial process; Demonstrate an understanding of how procedural issues and the judicial process affect all other area of our legal system.
Employment Law and Employee Benefits Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of employment law and employee benefits; Perform legal analysis in the context of employment law and employee benefits; Communicate effectively on topics related to employment law and employee benefits; Demonstrate an understanding of how employment law and employee benefits affect other areas of law.
Professional Responsibility and Ethics Learning outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of how the law affects, and is affected by, the individual course topic; Perform legal analysis in the context of the individual course topic; Communicate effectively on the legal and other aspects of the individual course topic; Demonstrate the ability to use other disciplines to analyze legal issues relevant to the individual course topic, including economics, philosophy, and sociology, as appropriate.
Public Interest Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of public interest law; Perform legal analysis in the context of public interest law; Communicate effectively on topics related to public interest law; Demonstrate an understanding of how public interest law is connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.
Equity and Inclusion Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of the varied legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Perform legal analysis in the context of topics related to equity and inclusion; Communicate effectively on the legal aspects of equity and inclusion; Demonstrate an understanding of how equity and inclusion are connected to and affected by a wide variety of legal and regulatory structures and doctrines.