CLINICAL PROGRAMS: CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC

Duration: Full year clinic
Credits: 8 credits (4 per semester/letter grade)

Students will provide legal representation, counseling and advocacy on behalf of children and families in civil proceedings.  Most clients will be adolescents who are in foster care or who have recently “aged out” of state custody.  Typical cases will involve advocating for clients’ housing, education, financial, and independent living needs and protecting clients’ rights to visit siblings or extended family members.  Some care and protection or CHINS work may be on our docket as well.  Students may argue cases in Juvenile, Probate/Family, or Superior Court, and/or in administrative hearings.  Students will have extensive client contact and opportunities to engage in a variety of litigation and negotiation skills.  A singular focus of the clinic will be interdisciplinary advocacy, as students learn about the social work, mental health, and medical fields and how to collaborate effectively with professionals from these disciplines.

In addition to individual casework, students will work on a larger project, such as legislative advocacy; a policy report; or community education and outreach. The two-hour weekly seminar component of this clinic will involve discussions and lectures on lawyering skills, the applicable substantive law of the students' cases, and professionalism and professional responsibility issues.  Students will also have the opportunity to practice interviewing, counseling, fact investigation, and negotiation skills through a series of simulation exercises. In addition, the seminar will include regular case rounds, during which students will share developments in their cases, solicit feedback and engage in collaborative strategy; and guest presentations by lawyers and non-lawyers from the Boston child advocacy community.

Questions: Contact Professor Erik Pitchal at epitchal@suffolk.edu