Civil Justice Clinic

The cornerstone of live-client clinical legal education at UC Hastings is the in-house Civil Justice Clinic (CJC). The CJC is the curricular umbrella for three separate courses and a number of subject-matter clinics.

Applicants for CJC Clinics: check out the Clinical Brochure, which is also available at CJC Office, located in Suite 300, 100 McAllister Street. You can pick up an application for the Individual Representation Clinic, Community Economic Development Clinic, or Mediation Clinic either by stopping by the CJC Office or by e-mail request to cjc@uchastings.edu. Students who have taken the CJC describe the experience as exceptionally rewarding—often the best thing they have done in law school. See and hear several students talk about their specific experience in their own words.

About the Civil Justice Clinic

Located on the third floor of UC Hastings Tower, located at 100 McAllister Street, the CJC gives students lead responsibility for handling real cases under the supervision of full-time faculty. Faculty are experienced attorneys who value the importance of tailoring teaching and scholarship to meet the needs of clients and students. Although the projects undertaken principally affect low-income individuals and communities, students interested in all areas of practice can and do benefit from the experience. The educational objectives emphasize skills training and the ability to be self-reflective so that students can learn from real practice, develop confidence in performing lawyering skills, and articulate their own visions of effective lawyering.

Semiweekly seminars, taught collaboratively, and intensive one-on-one sessions provide on-going opportunities for faculty to give students constructive support. The Individual Representation clinics emphasize the interpersonal dimensions of lawyering, the importance of careful planning and preparation in counseling and advocacy, and the development of problem-solving, context-sensitive approaches to individual dispute resolution.

Medical-Legal Partnership for Seniors Clinic (MLPS)

In the Medical-Legal Partnership for Seniors Clinic, students develop key lawyering skills through representation of low-income elderly patients at a UCSF medical clinic. Students represent MLPS clients/patients in transactional legal issues related to health, such as advance health care planning, estate planning, and public benefits. Over the course of the semester, students learn about the complex intersection of law and health, the implications for an aging population, and the role of lawyers in combating both poverty and health disparities. Students will develop skills in interviewing, critical thinking, document drafting, project management, and “whole person” lawyering. Students work closely not only with the clinical instructor, but with the UCSF health care team (physicians, nurses, and social workers) at UCSF Lakeside Senior Medical Center. Students develop skills for working in an interdisciplinary environment, and understand how the law impacts health care delivery on a day to day basis. Weekly seminar sessions enable students to reflect on their experiences representing low-income seniors, develop skills, and deepen their understanding of socio-legal determinants of health.