Family Law Clinic (6 credits)
Lewis Silverman, Associate Professor of Clinical Law
The Family Law Clinic offers students the opportunity to learn family law practice from a variety of perspectives, including litigation, negotiation, and court proceedings. Working seventeen (17) to twenty (20) hours a week under the supervision of experienced faculty and practitioners, students represent clients in divorce litigation, child support enforcement, and family offense proceedings.
Although the focus is on family law issues, the Clinic also provides training in skills applicable to the practice of law generally. Through an intensive training program supplemented by a weekly seminar, students learn to interview clients; investigate and develop relevant facts; negotiate on behalf of clients; draft litigation documents; and handle in-court proceedings, including divorce, child support, and domestic violence cases.
To prepare for their responsibilities, students participate in an intensive training program at the start of the semester, covering the dynamics of family violence, the social and psychological dimensions of domestic abuse, the system of shelters and social services available to victims, and the police and criminal court procedures involved in the response to domestic violence. Students also learn special skills needed to interview and counsel clients who have endured these traumas.
Because protecting victims of family violence is a major focus of the clinic's mission, students spend one day each week in Family Court, where they interview and represent clients seeking court protection. Whether they secure a negotiated agreement or a court order after a trial, students experience the satisfaction of knowing that by obtaining an order of protection, excluding the batterer from the home or confiscating a weapon, their efforts have gained the client a measure of safety.
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