Juvenile Justice Clinic

Registration & Requirements

Registration for the Juvenile Justice Clinic is limited to third-year students. A lottery registration meeting for Externship and Clinical Programs is held approximately one month into the spring semester of your 2nd year. Notices are posted throughout the Law School and emailed to the 2nd year student listserv. After the lottery registration meeting, students are given an opportunity to register for their program preferences online.

Please note: Students may not enroll in any externship programs while enrolled in the Juvenile Justice Clinic. In addition, students may not volunteer or be employed by any District Attorney office during their enrollment in the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Criminal Lawyering Process Class.

Requirements include:

• Juvenile Justice Clinic - 3 credits, graded (Fall), 3 credits, graded (Spring)
• Criminal Procedure-Investigation AND Evidence are prerequisites and must be taken prior to the fall semester of your 3rd year.
• Trial Advocacy is a pre- or co-requisite and must be taken prior to or during the fall semester of your 3rd year.
• Criminal Lawyering Process -- 3 credits, graded, WE. All Juvenile Justice Clinic students must take this course during the fall semester. The course covers, in a lecture and simulation format, the same skills that are developed in the clinic as well as substantive and procedural law focusing on North Carolina juvenile law and procedure in order to prepare students for their clinic work. Simulation exercises are used to teach the range of skills involved in juvenile practice. The course also presents for discussion and written reflection and analysis various ethical, strategic and systemic issues that arise in the cases in which the students are involved. Each week, students will prepare one or more written assignments focusing on different components of defense practice. Assignments will include preparing memoranda on theory of the case, investigation, client interviewing, and motion drafting, among others. Criminal Lawyering Process is required for all full year, fall, and spring students enrolled in the Juvenile Justice Clinic.
• All students enrolled in the clinic must attend the mandatory Juvenile Justice Clinic Intensive Weekend held early in the Fall semester.

About the Clinic

The Juvenile Justice Clinic is a one or two-semester clinic in which third-year law students represent children accused of crimes. Our cases principally involve the defense of juveniles in delinquency and undisciplined proceedings in Durham and Orange counties. More

How We Get Cases

The UNC Juvenile Justice Clinic represents juveniles in delinquency cases pending in Juvenile Court in Durham and Orange counties. These cases are referred by the Durham Public Defender and the Public Defender for Orange and Chatham counties.