Animal Law Clinic

Description:

Limit: 4 students

The Animal Law Clinic (ALC) provides clinical training to second, third and fourth-year students. The ALC’s emphasis is on state litigation, but often includes administrative actions, transactional matters, federal litigation, lobbying, and regulatory matters. Students will learn to interview and counsel clients; research and draft pleadings and motions; attend court hearings and trials; and otherwise advocate for clients. Students will participate in a weekly 2-hour class covering substantive issues and lawyering skills, meet with the Staff Attorney as needed, and spend an average of 8-10 hours per week on assigned work. In addition to discussions regarding animal protection lawyering, classes will provide opportunities for students to engage in mock lawyering tasks to hone their interviewing, negotiating, counseling, trial advocacy, and persuasive skills. While the ALC will not include an ethics portion for credit, students will be exposed to and will learn professionalism and conflicts issues critical to being an effective animal advocate. The ALC takes cases that maximize the students’ opportunities to learn animal lawyering skills. Students will also earn the opportunity to work with attorneys and organizations nationwide to gain broad exposure to careers in animal law.

Students will earn 3 credits. The ALC is a credit/no credit course with no final examination or paper requirement. Outside reading or case preparation may be required, typically not to exceed three hours per week.

Students must have permission to register for this course. To request permission, email Jami Pannell (jpannell@lclark.edu) prior to the class registration deadline. Include your name, your year in law school, the semester(s) in which you would like to enroll, and the reasons for your interest in working with the ALC. If there is more student demand than the ALC can accommodate, preference will be based on demonstrated interest in animal law, year in school, and interest in two consecutive semesters. The sooner students notify the instructor of their interest, the more likely they will obtain permission to register.

The Animal Law Clinic is located on campus in the lower level of Wood Hall. Students will often work in the Animal Law Clinic office, but the hours are flexible. There will be a 2-hour class once per week, with the day, time and location TBD based upon the students’ class schedules.

The ALC encourages students to obtain certification, but it is not required.