Work on the LSU Law Center’s new Clinical Legal Education space has begun in earnest, with an expected completion date of mid-June.
“Providing an appropriate space for our clinical program has been a priority of the Law Center,” said Chancellor Jack M. Weiss. “We are looking forward to working with our clients from the community in a setting that serves their needs while also offering the best possible educational experience for our students.”
The space will include a reception area and waiting room, client interview rooms, a conference room/classroom with AV capabilities, student workrooms, a file room, a mail/copy room, and faculty offices.
“The Clinic space is designed as a model legal services office within the Law Center,” said Robert Lancaster, director of Clinical Programs and the J. Noland and Janice D. Singletary Professor of Professional Practice. “Students will have a technologically advanced, comfortable workspace where they can attend class, meet with clients, and work on their clinic cases. LSU should be proud to have this space available at the Law Center, and it will give a physical presence to the clinics and field placements we already have in existence.”
Currently, the following clinical programs are in place:
- Juvenile Representation Workshop – This is a clinical course in which third-year students represent juveniles who are accused of delinquent acts or who are the victims of child abuse or neglect. Second-year students may assist in representation. Actual cases pending before the East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court are assigned to students, and prior to any hearing, student counsel present their proposed trial strategies for discussion by other class members and faculty.
- Domestic Violence Clinic – Students are sworn into practice and interview victims of domestic violence, negotiate protective orders, and represent the client in court, as necessary. The fundamentals of family law and Louisiana’s family protection procedures are taught in intensive classroom sessions at the beginning of the term. Thereafter, the class meets less frequently, and students practice directly under the supervision of licensed attorneys of the Family Protection Program of the Capital Area Legal Services Program. The clinic is limited to third-year students who have completed the Legal Profession course.
- Family Mediation Clinic – Students are sworn into practice and have the opportunity to co-mediate contested child custody disputes that are referred by the Capital Area Legal Services Program. In preparation for that practice, classroom sessions focus on family dynamics and mediation strategies through reading, viewing videotapes of actual mediations, discussion, and simulation exercise. The actual mediations are co-conducted by an experienced lawyer who is a professional family mediator. The clinic is limited to third-year students who have completed the Legal Profession course.
Students may also participate in a number of field placements with such agencies as the Office of the Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, the Louisiana Department of Revenue’s Office of Legal Affairs, and the State Attorney General’s Office.
LSU Law’s Clinical Program is supported in part by the Oliver “Rick” and Donna Guzman Richard Charitable Foundation, and a gift from the family of the late Judge Earl E. Veron.
