University of La Verne College of Law Viewbook 2012 - (Page 15)
Professional Skills Training
La Verne Law has long been a pioneer in providing practical skills training to our law students, giving them the
tools they need to be practice-ready. These programs provide service to the local community and give students
the opportunity to conduct research, write legal documents, and practice oral advocacy skills while working on
actual cases under the supervision of knowledgeable faculty and practicing lawyers.
La Verne Law’s clinical curriculum is comprised of three components: externships, clinical opportunities
and a Lawyering Skills Practicum.
Externships
La Verne Law’s robust externship program
offers upper-division students a chance to work
with government agencies, public interest
organizations, non-profit agencies, and judges.
Our program fosters law student engagement
with the legal community while helping students
reflect on the work they will do as lawyers and
the role they will embody when they take their
place among their legal peers. Students secure
externships in public interest and government
offices, working closely under the supervision
of an attorney. Through these positions,
students can study the legal process and apply
the knowledge and skills developed in law school
in a practical setting.
Justice & Immigration Clinic
Our Justice & Immigration Clinic provides pro bono
assistance to immigrants seeking asylum in the
United States because they are suffering political,
religious, and other human rights persecution in
their home countries. Students participating in the
clinic interview clients, find and retain experts, draft
and file briefs, draft direct examinations, prepare
witnesses and have a valuable opportunity to
represent their clients before the Immigration
Court in Los Angeles.
Disability Rights Legal Center Clinic
The Disability Rights Legal Center Clinic focuses on
disability civil rights litigation and special education
issues for low-income families. The clinic addresses
some of the most extreme problems for people
with disabilities in Inland Southern California,
including the failure to provide free and appropriate
education for students with disabilities; the
treatment of youth with disabilities in the juvenile
justice and foster care systems; lack of access to the
justice system and lack of access to healthcare.
Lawyering Skills Practicum
The core of our clinical program is the required
Lawyering Skills Practicum, a simulated law practice
under the guidance of senior partners. Students
form partnerships, establish a local bar, and write
the rules to govern their actions. Students also
interview clients, negotiate a fee arrangement,
write and file appropriate pleadings, pursue all
evidence via discovery, prepare, file, and argue all
appropriate motions including a summary judgment
motion, write briefs, and bring their matter before a
judicial officer to resolve by arbitration, mediation,
or by a jury.
University of La Verne College of Law
15
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University of La Verne College of Law Viewbook 2012
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