Civil Legal Assistance Clinic

About the Clinic

The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic is a two-semester clinic where third-year students represent low-income clients in a variety of civil matters, including, but not limited to:

• landlord/tenant and other housing law issues
• family law cases, including domestic violence
• unemployment benefits
• consumer law issues
• public benefits

The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic also works with the UNC School of Law Center for Civil Rights and other statewide and national legal advocacy organizations on complex litigation in state and federal courts in a broad range of matters involving civil rights.

Students are given as much autonomy as possible in making decisions about cases. Students work in teams of two, with each team meeting weekly with the faculty supervisor. Cases may be assigned to an individual student or to a team of co-counsel, depending upon the complexity of the case and the interests of the students. Team members regularly consult with each other on all cases. In assigning cases, an effort is made to accommodate student interest and to give each student a variety of practical legal experiences.

In handling these cases, students learn to interview clients and other witnesses, investigate factual issues, research and develop legal theories, draft pleadings and orders, plan and carry out discovery, counsel clients, negotiate with opposing parties, argue motions and try cases in both administrative and judicial settings. Cases are usually handled at the trial level. However, occasionally students handle appellate matters.

Requirements & Registration

All students in the civil clinic are required to take Civil Lawyering Process during the fall semester. This course covers - in a lecture and simulation format - the same skills that are developed in the clinic as well as substantive and procedural law. Trial Advocacy must be taken either before or during the first semester of clinic. All students enrolled in the clinic must attend the mandatory Civil Clinic Intensive Weekend held near the beginning of the fall semester.

Registration for the civil clinic is limited to 3rd year students. A registration meeting for Externship and Clinical Programs is held approximately one month into the spring semester. Notices are posted throughout the Law School and placed in 2nd year students' mailboxes. After the registration meeting, 2nd year students are given several days to return the completed registration form. Please note that students may not enroll in any externship programs if enrolled in the civil clinic.

The Civil Lawyering Process Class is 3 credits (graded) (Fall).

The Civil Clinic is 4 credits (pass/fail) (Fall) and 4 credits (pass/fail) (Spring).

Civil Clinic Faculty:

• Assistant Professor Alistair Newbern
• Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor Beth Posner

How We Get Our Cases

The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic accepts cases that are referred by offices of the Legal Aid of North Carolina that serve Alamance, Durham, and Orange counties. The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic also accepts referrals from the North Carolina Justice Center, and the UNC Center on Civil Rights with which it collaborates in litigating civil rights matters. Cases are assigned to students by faculty supervisors.

Resources

UNC Resources:

• Center for Civil Rights 919-843-3921
• Center on Poverty Work & Opportunity 919-843-8796
• Student Legal Services (for UNC students only) 919-962-1303

Helpful Links

• North Carolina Justice Center : http://www.ncjustice.org/
• Legal Aid or North Carolina: http://www.legalaidnc.org/
  Please contact your local legal aid office to see if you qualify for their legal services.
• Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI; a statewide project of Legal Aid of NC)
• The Women's Center: http://www.womenspace.org/
  210 Henderson Street in downtown Chapel Hill 919-968-4610
  Limited to legal information and referral services for women in the Triangle area.
• North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA): http://www.ncbar.org/
• North Carolina State Bar Association (Lawyer Referral Service): http://www.ncbar.org/public/lrs
  1-800-662-7660 in state and 919-677-8574 for local Raleigh area and from out of state.
• Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) : http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/AOCAdmin/Default.asp
• North Carolina Court System, Judicial Forms : http://www.nccourts.org/
• N.C. LawHelp.org/NC (North Carolina Statewide Website): http://www.lawhelp.org/nc/
• North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers (NCATL): http://www.ncatl.org/
• The North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.nccadv.org/
• North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault
• Kiran Domestic Violence & Crisis Services for South Asians in North Carolina: http://www.kiraninc.org/

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic represent me in a matter?
A: The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic can only accept cases that are referred to us by an organization or agency with which we have a referral agreement. We do not handle any direct intake from clients who are seeking assistance.

Q: Will the Civil Legal Assistance Clinic give me legal advice?
A: The Civil Legal Assistance Clinic can only give legal advice to individuals and groups who are clients of the clinic.

Q: If the Civil Legal Assistance Clinic can not help me do you know of any other legal service resources that may be able to help me?
A: Yes. Please see our Resources and Helpful Links sections above.