Access to Justice: Legal Education & Empowerment

3 credits · Law School

In this class, law students will work cooperatively with system-involved individuals to engage in a mutual process of legal education and empowerment. All participants will meet in an initial session to define their goals for the class and agree upon an initial set of topics. They will also share as a group their individual experiences with and understanding of the legal system. Following that initial meeting, students will develop a short curriculum, which they will then use to facilitate related discussions with the full group over a series of in-person class sessions. Possible topics might include: the legal system and understanding law; housing and property (e.g., how to read a lease, eviction, buying property); family law (divorce, custody, child support); and collateral consequences. These sessions will include coverage of procedural and substantive law and students’ shared impressions of law, courts, and the legal system. To enroll, students must submit a brief statement of interest in the course (no more than one page) to the instructor, including relevant background and experience (which might include personal experience, classes taken, and clinical or practice experience in related areas). Students enrolled in the course will also have to complete volunteer orientation/training as well as a background check in advance of the start of the course. Enrollment limited. [3]