Practicum: Public Interest Law (638-1)
Instructors
Monica L Llorente
312/498-7686
Office Hours: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/MonicaLlorente@nuwildcat.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/
Meeting Info
McCormick 375 - Smith Hall: Thurs 4:10PM - 6:00PM
Overview of class
This course examines the work of lawyers representing low-income clients in civil cases and engaging in other civil public interest legal work through experiential and in-class learning. The course will explore practical and ethical issues faced by public interest lawyers and the challenges of enforcing legal rights of low-income clients. In addition to the weekly seminar, students spend 12 hours per week in an approved externship with a non-profit public interest organization doing civil legal work. Students work under the supervision of attorneys in these offices and conduct research, write briefs and memoranda, interview clients and witnesses, participate in community education efforts, and assist attorneys in trial preparation and trial. Students secure their own placement in consultation with the faculty member.
Learning Objectives
Ideally, if you participate fully and actively in the Public Interest Practicum, you will: (1) Expand your knowledge in particular areas of substantive law, including: the particular areas of law covered at your externship (e.g. employment discrimination), the scarcity of legal services for the poor, the range of legal issues faced by low-income persons, important topics such as race and trauma, and issues in professional responsibility; (2) Improve on a variety of skills: legal (depending on placement and including research, writing, analysis, fact gathering, interviewing, identifying causes of action, case strategy, drafting, and oral advocacy and presentation) and other professional skills (including receiving and understanding assignments, figuring out how to prioritize work, time management, meeting deadlines, learning from feedback, and communication with supervisors); (3) Gain a better understanding of yourself (by identifying successes and areas for improvement and starting to develop and apply new strategies through self-reflection in journals, class discussions, and meetings with supervisors and faculty); and (4) Explore and start planning for who you want to be as a lawyer doing what and where.
Evaluation Method
The final grade will be based on approximately these components and the more detailed descriptions that follow: (1) 20% 1st journal installment; (2) 20% 2nd journal installment; (3) 10% journal on which you do the best; (4) 25% class workshop; and (5) 25% class attendance and participation. You will write reflective journal entries analyzing your work experiences and different class topics and responding to prompts. You will submit your journal two times over the course of the semester. After you hand in the 1st journal installment, I will provide you with feedback to help you improve on your 2nd journal installment. You will give a workshop to the class on a topic of your choosing towards the end of the semester. As part of the workshop, you will present your research on that particular topic in an engaging, interactive way and facilitate a brief discussion. Class attendance and participation will be graded based on efforts, not on whether answers are right or wrong. In addition, successful compliance with the externship requirements and the expectations of your placement supervisor are essential. Although the field placement experience will not be graded directly, I will be in contact with your supervisor during the semester to discuss your work. Failure to comply with the requirements and expectations of your externship may have an impact on your grade. You will get individual feedback and guidance from me on your journals, workshop topic and outline, and anything else that relates to the class through conferences during the semester, and you can meet with me more, as needed.
Class Materials (Required)
All course materials will be provided on Canvas. There is no need to purchase any materials for this course.
Class Notes
Please reach out to Monica Llorente at m-llorente@law.northwestern.edu at any time to talk more about any aspect of the class.
Class Attributes
Registrar enrollment; not a biddable class
Satisfies Experiential Learning degree req
Requires Practicum Placement
Constitutional Law or Procedure an element
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Procedure Practice Area present in course
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: MSL Students are not eligible to enroll
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required