From classroom to courtroom: UA law clinics give real world experience

The University of Arizona James E. Roger College of Law offers undergraduate students real-life experiences through a variety of hands-on law clinics so students can apply theory into practice, make professional connections and discover what kind of law they want to practice in the future. One clinic opportunity open for undergraduate students is the Juvenile Law Facilitation and Advocacy Clinic taught by Sally Digges, who previously worked as a prosecutor and assistant attorney general in juvenile court. This clinic focuses on dependency cases, which involve removing a child from a home due to safety concerns. Students involved in the clinic observe and assist in prehearing conferences, where facilitators organize information for judges and identify disagreements or agreements between the parties. “You get to see the law in action, people in court who are affected by these cases and it’s just a better way to see potential jobs you might want to pursue,” Digges said. She explained that students come away from the clinic with new perspectives, even if they had no prior interest in juvenile law. “It is something that looks great on a resume, but more importantly, it gives students the chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real life,” Digges said. Digges emphasized how this opportunity opens up doors for undergraduate students to figure out if they really want to pursue law school or if they should go into a different major. “For a lot of people it’s a real eye opener, several of the previous students have gone on to work for judges as law clerks because they enjoyed that atmosphere,” Digges said. For students interested in global and indigenous legal issues, Robert Williams Jr., UA professor and co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, has been leading one of UA’s most established clinics since 1990. “Our clinic started with the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Navajo Nation,” Williams Jr. said. “Over the years it’s grown to include International Human Rights Advocacy Workshops.” “You are working on actual cases, writing reports and seeing the impact of your work,” Williams Jr. said. The law clinic is open primarily for juris doctor law students due to the advanced legal work involved. “Students are in court, working with real clients and sometimes even drafting briefs for the U. S. Supreme Court,” Williams Jr. said. “We had students working full time with us thirty to forty hours a week doing research, writing and fact checking. It’s exhilarating and exhausting, but it’s real.” Law students who are interested in family law are able to participate in the Child and Family Law Clinic, which offers a more advanced immersive experience for juris doctor law students representing children in court. Wayne Koelemeyer, UA professor of practice, has worked closely with this clinic and mentioned these cases often reshape how students view the legal profession. “All the clients that students work with are children who live in chaos,” Koelemeyer said. “It helps students realize that the job of a lawyer is really about tackling chaos in a productive way.” Koelemeyer previously worked in foster care and social work, and he explained that an exposure to emotionally intense cases is challenging, but transformative. “For students who’ve been protected or isolated from chaos, it can be hard to see, but the clinic is a safe place to practice and grow,” Koelemeyer said. Koelemeyer shared that these networking opportunities can directly lead to jobs. “If you are doing a good job in court, judges notice,” Koelemeyer said. “Those judges ask you to clerk for them, and many students go into practice with the people they meet in court.” “Most students say it’s the best experience they had in law school, you are doing the job you are studying to do,” Koelemeyer said. From criminal defense and immigration to civil rights and innovation law, these clinics give students an opportunity to develop their skills and serve the community. The UA law clinics offer real-life practice that no classroom can give. These are just three out of 17 law clinics available to students. “If you choose your clinic wisely, you’ll be advocating for the people or causes that made you want to go into law in the first place,” Koelemeyer said.
https://wildcat.arizona.edu/162830/news/from-classroom-to-courtroom-ua-law-clinics-give-real-world-experience/

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