Clinic: Youth and Young Adult Trial, Post-Conviction, and Policy Advocacy (733-1)

Instructors

Shobha Mahadev
312/503-1477
Bluhm Legal Clinic

Meeting Info

Rubloff Building 887: Wed 2:35PM - 3:50PM

Overview of class

Students enrolled in this course will advocate on behalf of youth and adults involved in the juvenile and criminal legal system. Section 1 students will primarily engage in litigation while students in section 2 will advocate through major policy reform efforts. Description of each section provide detail about the work in which students will be engaged. Both sections of this course offer Professional Writing Credit.

Students enrolled in this clinic section, part of the Children and Family Justice Center (CJFC), will represent youth and adults in a wide variety of settings and gain valuable litigation and policy experience in the process. They might advocate for youth pretrial, on appeal, in collateral matters, and/or in clemency proceedings. As part of a national litigation effort following the groundbreaking 2012 U. S. Supreme Court decision in Miller v. Alabama (which banned mandatory life sentences for youth), students might also represent individuals in post-conviction and resentencing proceedings, who were given lengthy or life sentences for offenses that occurred when they were in their youth. They may also draft amicus briefs to state appellate and supreme courts. Students may also collaborate with statewide and national partners on research and policy initiatives related to the extreme sentencing of youth and emerging adults. Students will have the opportunity to develop traditional trial skills as well as skills related to negotiation, investigation, discovery, expert witness preparation, client counseling, written advocacy, and policy reform. Additionally, students can expect readings and discussions exploring the structural forces and trends behind the law in this area as well as social science research regarding adolescent development, public health approaches to violence, the benefits of holistic representation, and the implementation of restorative justice practices.

Class sessions for this clinic section will be held jointly with Professor Flaum and Kollman's clinic sections.

Class Attributes

Satisfies Experiential Learning degree req
Satisfies Prof Writing degree req
Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Area
Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: MSL Students are not eligible to enroll