Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professors Hope Babcock, Angela Campbell, and Brian Wolfman

J.D. Clinic 528 | 12 credit hours

The Institute for Public Representation is a public interest law clinic that provides legal representation to underrepresented groups and individuals before administrative agencies, courts, and other decision-making bodies. The Institute is involved in a variety of issues: environmental protection (particularly problems in the D.C. area); communications law and policy (focusing on access and diversity in the media and the impact of new technologies); and civil rights/general public interest law (focusing on disability, employment and open government litigation).

Students' assignments involve a wide range of advocacy tasks including drafting court pleadings and briefs; participation in strategy sessions; meeting with clients, other attorneys, and government personnel; and preparing administrative petitions and legislative testimony. Since many of the issues taken on involve novel legal questions, there is a good deal of policy debate, research, and collaborative work at the Institute, as well as consultation with other public interest groups.

The Institute provides a good chance for students to work closely with experienced lawyers on public interest law problems and to sharpen their lawyering skills. In particular, their writing will be closely edited and reviewed. Students have a unique opportunity to obtain an overall familiarity with the public interest law community and clients served by public interest lawyers and to gain an understanding of how lawyers develop strategy and structure their advocacy efforts. Weekly seminars and other meetings of the staff and students provide an opportunity for analysis of the Institute's advocacy work and of the role of the attorney in formulating public policy.

The Institute is open to students who have completed 28 credits by the time clinic classes begin. It is a full time clinic that involves devoting a minimum of four working days per week to clinical activities for one semester. Participation: 18 students each semester.

Recommended: While coursework in environmental and/or natural resources law is not a prerequisite, it is strongly encouraged. See clinic course description in the Online Curriculum Guide or the "Clinic Enrollment Policies" in the Bulletin.

Students may not concurrently enroll in this clinic and an externship or a practicum course.