Practice Makes Perfect - How a High-Volume Legal Advice and Referral Clinic Helps Students Develop Practical Lawyering Skills

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Session Type: Lightning Sessions

Session Capacity: N/A

Location: N/A

Room: Yosemite B

Floor: Ballroom Level

Law students benefit from the repetition of practical skills associated with client interviews in a clinical setting, particularly when provided with the opportunity to interview individuals across a diversity of ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, languages, and cultural backgrounds, as well as who present with a wide range of both legal issues and non-legal needs. The session leaders will describe the unique learning opportunities available to law students who participate in high- volume law school based legal advice and referral clinics which offers free assistance to predominantly vulnerable individuals and families from diverse backgrounds. The session will focus on: 1. How clinical educational teaching strategies can support student learning and acquisition of practical skills, including the sharing of exercises and assignments such as case rounds, reflections, intake and consultation summaries, professional email communication drafting, and focused class sessions on relevant areas of law / clinic-related skills. 2. How partnerships and collaborations with non-legal services organizations reinforce a holistic and culturally competent approach to the provision of direct legal services. 3. How a legal information, advice, and referral clinic can provide law students with unique opportunities for issue spotting, the formation of important client relational skills, and overall professional development through the repeated and supervised experience of client interviewing. 4. How community is fostered through the involvement and interaction of undergraduate volunteer interpreters, law students, non-legal partners, and volunteer attorneys in the Community Law Project program.