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Legal Clinics

Prof. Dana Malkus and her ECD Clinic students participated in a Vacancy Collaborative press conference at SLU LAW in 2018.

The SLU LAW Legal Clinics are the place where doctrine, practice, and professional responsibility come together. Unlike field placements or other experiential courses where students typically assist attorneys in case-related tasks, students in the Clinics assume primary responsibility (i.e., a "first chair" role) for their client matters.

With supervision and feedback from full-time faculty members with the time and expertise to engage in intensive and tailored supervision, students manage litigation, conduct transactional work, and engage in advocacy. Through their clinic experiences, students learn to face uncertainty, ambiguity, and the fluid nature of problem-solving. Moreover, students are invited to confront their own judgments and perceptions about clients, the justice system, and communities.

In addition to their client work, students participate in a classroom component where they learn lawyering skills, address ethical obligations, and gain a better understanding of the social justice concerns and policy issues that affect their clients.