CLN: 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.)
No
While there is no paper, per se, associated with the clinic and the work is all conducted in collaboration with your clinic partner, research associated with a case or project can be developed into a paper for your senior writing requirement with permission of the instructor (we have, in the past, supervised an independent student to support this). 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 in advance and we will arrange for the class to be recorded so long as it does not risk client confidentiality.
Meeting Times/Location
MW 1:30PM - 2:50PM
Tanenbaum Hall 320
Category
Clinics/Externships
Credits
7.0
PLEASE SEE IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES FOR CLINICS AVAILABLE ON THE REGISTRATION INSTRUCTION PAGE. Students enrolled in the TLC gain critical lawyering experience through the direct representation of individuals in immigration proceedings before the Immigration Court, Asylum Office, and USCIS, while working under close faculty supervision and mentorship. You will also have the opportunity to partner with national, international and grassroots organizations and individuals in human rights advocacy tackling the systemic rights abuses endemic to systems of immigration enforcement, detention, and low-wage work, including administrative filings challenging conditions of detention, amicus brief writing, litigation and other forms of advocacy before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, submissions to the United Nations, and foreign and U.S. governmental agencies.
Seminar time is devoted to training in and exploration of core lawyering competencies (i.e., interviewing and counseling, trauma-informed practice, case theory and persuasion, and strategic planning) through lecture, simulations, in-class exercises, videos, and readings. Seminar time is also set aside for case rounds whereby student teams present legal, factual, ethical, and strategic issues that arise in client representations, brainstorm with, and solicit input from, clinic colleagues on pathways for moving forward, and reflect on choices discussed, providing opportunities for shared learning and critical reflection.
Through weekly meetings with your faculty supervisor and hands-on supervision throughout, you will receive the guidance and constructive feedback needed to build your competencies and confidence to enable you to provide your clients high quality representation, while also developing critical reflection skills that will contribute to life-long learning. Students will also work closely in an interdisciplinary team with a licensed social worker who has recently joined the clinics full-time. The seminar, client and partner-based advocacy, and supervision are designed to work in tandem to foster the development of transferable skills for lawyering across cultures, languages, and legal systems.
While there are no prerequisites, the seminar is not a substitute for an international or immigration law course. Substantive law and procedure are discussed as they arise in your cases and projects, and students are responsible for researching and analyzing the underlying law(s) and procedure(s) relevant to your work, with guidance provided by your professors.
Students are required to write a mid-semester and end-of-semester reflection memo assessing performance, and reflecting on choices made and lessons learned, as well as on their personal growth and professional development.
Class participation is mandatory. Additional sessions, including an orientation session, simulations, and informal gatherings will be scheduled based on students’ identified availability at the beginning of and at various times throughout the semester. A service immersion trip may be planned for a week in October, depending on interest and availability.
Required summer reading: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman.
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 24th, 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.
You may only enroll in one clinic or externship. Students enrolled in the clinic will receive an email with additional information and a mandatory brief survey.
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: Interviewing, Counseling, Negotiation, and Persuasive Fact Analysis" by Krieger, Neumann, Hutchins |