CLIN: Transnational Legal Clinic (Paoletti/Bradley/Kopel)
Faculty
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| Sarah Paoletti Practice Professor of Law; Director, Transnational Legal Clinic paoletti@law.upenn.edu |
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| Liz Bradley Lecturer in Law lizbradley@law.upenn.edu |
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| Maggie Kopelmakop@law.upenn.edu |
Additional Information
Experiential CourseYes
Skills Training
Oral Presentations
Team Projects
Drafting Legal Documents
Expository Writing
Other Professional Skills:
Grading
20% Participation,
80% Other (There is no exam or final paper for the clinic. Instead, students are evaluated on a set of criteria related to their lawyering, professionalism, reflection, and growth over the course of the semester, as set forth in detail in the course syllabus.)
With Permission of Instructor
Research associated with a case or project can be developed into a paper to be used for your senior writing requirement with the permission of the instructor. In the past, students have sought faculty supervision for an independent study credit to allow for independent development of the article or paper to be used to satisfy the senior writing requirement. Please note, though, that this is live client representation and all steps must be taken to ensure client confidentiality.
Class meets in person.
Course Continuity
Students are encouraged to stay home if you are ill or experience flu-like symptoms. If you miss a class for any reason, it is still your responsibility to make up the work missed.
I offer the following to students who miss class due to illness:
- I will make PowerPoint slides or other class materials routinely available on the course site to everyone in the class.
- If your are going to be absent, due to illness or some other unavoidable circumstance, email your professors who will arrange for the class to be recorded so long as it does not risk client confidentiality (under no circumstances will case rounds be recorded).
Meeting Times/Location
MW 1:30PM - 2:50PM
Tanenbaum Hall 142
Category
Clinics/Externships
Credits
7.0
PLEASE SEE IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES FOR CLINICS AVAILABLE ON THE REGISTRATION INSTRUCTION PAGE.
Gain a range of legal advocacy skills and lawyering experience under close faculty supervision and mentorship while you provide direct representation to individuals from around the world in immigration court and before USCIS in applications for asylum and other humanitarian forms of relief, as well as possible federal court litigation and administrative advocacy seeking enforcement of rights in and release from detention. You will also have the opportunity to partner with and represent national, international, and grassroots organizations in litigation and policy advocacy before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations, and foreign and U.S. governmental agencies. All students gain training and experience in transferable skills of lawyering across cultures, languages, and legal systems.
Seminar time is devoted to developing core lawyering competencies (i.e., interviewing, counseling, case theory and persuasion, and strategic planning skills) through lecture, simulations, in-class exercises, videos, and readings. Approximately half of all sessions are devoted to case rounds where student teams present legal, factual, ethical and strategic issues that arise in your client representations, brainstorm solutions, and solicit feedback from your TLC colleagues on pathways for moving forward. Case rounds are also an opportunity to develop presentation skills as well as your ability to effectively seek, receive, and deliver constructive feedback.
Weekly meetings with your faculty supervisor provide structured opportunities for mentoring, guidance and constructive feedback to ensure your clients receive the best possible representation, while also building competencies and confidence to serve you well into your future career. These are supplemented by ongoing virtual and in pe
While there are no prerequisites, the seminar is not a substitute for an international or immigration law course. Substantive law is discussed as it arises in casework. Students are responsible for researching and analyzing the underlying law(s) and procedure(s) relevant to the client work, with guidance provided by your professors. Throughout the semester, students are expected to engage in critical reflection on the choices presented and made in your cases. Students are assigned to write a mid-semester and end-of-semester self-evaluation memo assessing personal performance and professional development.
Class participation is mandatory. Seminars and supervision sessions are in person. A hybrid of additional sessions will be held, including an orientation session the first Friday of classes, two simulations, as well as informal gatherings that may be scheduled based on students’ identified availability.
Required winter reading: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman. The book explores the relationships between and among the American medical system, doctors and social workers, and a Hmong girl and her refugee family, and raises several issues of cross-cultural communication that repeat in your own client representations throughout the semester.
PLEASE NOTE: The clinic is not just a class; it’s a professional commitment to clients, peers, and faculty. If you are enrolled in a clinic, you will have until Monday, November 25th, at 5pm to confirm and commit to your seat. Additional instructions will be provided via email after you are enrolled. Once you confirm and commit, you will be fully enrolled in the clinic and may not drop without permission from the instructor and the Dean of Students. Please refer to the Clinic Registration page for detailed information.
Students enrolled in the clinic will receive an email with additional information and a brief survey to inform the spring docket.
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.
International and Comparative Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of international and comparative law, both substantively and procedurally; Perform legal analysis in the context of international and comparative law; Communicate effectively on topics related to international and comparative law; Demonstrate an understanding of the role of international and comparative law, and their interconnection with domestic 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.
Perspectives on the Law 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.
Administrative and Regulatory Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of administrative and regulatory law and the administrative process, including the role of statutory authorization and work of administrative agencies; Perform legal analysis in the context of administrative and regulatory law; Communicate effectively on topics related to administrative and regulatory law; Demonstrate an understanding of the role administrative and regulatory law play in our legal system and in society as a whole.
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.
Textbooks
"Essential Lawyering Skills " by Kreiger Neumann |