Law students enroll in clinics hungry to learn practical advocacy skills. The standard "lawyer" toolbox is filled with promising items such as research and brief writing, courtroom litigation, and negotiations. What happens when a few new tools are added, such as practicing cultural humility, self-care, and evaluation of interventions? Magic! In this discussion, we will reflect on the integration of social work students into capital defense, criminal defense, immigration, domestic violence, and children's rights clinics and pro bono offerings.
Introducing law students to a broader array of competencies, social work students have taught and empowered law students to use creative interviewing practices and to reflect on the power dynamics at play in the student attorney-client relationship. Law students seek out their social work counterparts to help with trauma-informed interviewing and counseling. We have also seen the positive impacts of law students building self-care practices as part of their professional development. We invite participants to engage in a discussion of how inter-disciplinary practice can improve the quality of advocacy and the well-being of students and clients alike.
We will share the model the University of Texas School of Law uses for hosting and supervising bachelor and masters-level social work students. Attendees are invited to share their own models and/or raise questions about how legal clinics can serve as social work placement sites.