Wrongful Conviction Clinic

6-8 units

Open to 2L and 3L J.D. students. The Wrongful Conviction Clinic provides students the opportunity to participate in the representation of individuals convicted of crimes in Missouri – and occasionally in neighboring states – who have credible claims of innocence. Students work in partnership with Midwest Innocence Project lawyers and staff to investigate and litigate cases in state post-conviction and federal habeas proceedings. This work offers dynamic, real-world lawyering experience and immersive training in diverse practical lawyering skills, including client counseling, investigation, and legal research and writing. The Clinic is led by Rachel Wester, Legal Director at the Midwest Innocence Project. Students are financially responsible for their own transportation and parking, as needed. [Note: Students are prohibited from taking more than one clinic/externship/supervised practicum in the same semester. Students who are not in good standing (for either academic or disciplinary reasons) are not eligible to participate in a clinic/externship. For 6 credits, students must work a minimum of 255 hours over the course of the semester. The course is graded on a modified pass/fail basis: HP (3.90), P, LP (3.00), and F (2.50). 6 units (8 with permission of instructor).] To participate in this clinic, you must either have completed or be currently enrolled in courses containing at least 5 cumulative hours of education on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism (BCCCR content). This clinic includes 5 hours of BCCCR content, so in total, you will need 0 hours from your other courses to meet the requirement. Courses that include BCCCR content are tagged in Workday to help you track your progress.