Students who participate in the Children’s Law Clinic often describe it as the most eye-opening and beneficial experience of their law school career. Not only do they learn first-hand practical skills such as interviewing and counseling clients, developing a legal theory, and advocating for a client’s position, they come to understand the very real needs of families who cannot afford lawyers.
One of these students is Meredith Levy, a 3L working with a local family to appeal the denial of SSI benefits for their prematurely born twins. The family was referred to the clinic through a new collaboration with Legal Aid of North Carolina, Duke Primary Care for Children, and Lincoln Community Health Center in Durham that involves pediatricians and other medical personnel in identifying legal issues that may be impeding children's health and well being.
"The communication of the administrators, staff, and doctors at the pediatricians' office is wonderful," Levy says, adding that she even spoke with one of the doctors to better understand the medical jargon of the case.
Levy describes her experience an excellent complement to her classroom education. "It's been such a wonderful experience to actually be able to apply what I've learned in class," she says.
The clinic also represents many at-risk children and children with disabilities who are struggling in school. Often, their parents seek an advocate when their child is facing exclusion from school due to misbehavior or when their child seems to be making little or no academic progress. Law students collect and analyze the child’s school records and determine whether the child is entitled to remain in school or receive more appropriate special education services. Often, the law students accompany parents to school meetings, attempting to negotiate a solution with school officials, or represent the child in an administrative hearing.
Law students who are in at least their fourth semester of law school may enroll in the clinic. They are trained both in the classroom and on-the-job. They learn the law of special education and school discipline, as well as how to interview and counsel clients, investigate facts, manage a client’s file, develop a strategy, and advocate for a client’s position. They are assigned cases throughout the semester, spending between 100 and 120 hours working on client work. Students are closely supervised by the two faculty members of the clinic.