Clinical Courses

Civil Practice Clinic

Civil Practice Clinic students provide legal representation to lowincome and elderly clients in a variety of general civil matters, including administrative law issues, consumer matters, family law, housing controversies, and other civil law problems. Under the supervision of clinic faculty, students have primary responsibility for the cases they are assigned. They also have classroom instruction on practice skills, which includes simulation and videotaping.

Examples of students making a difference for clients include:

  • A Civil Practice Clinic student helped a client secure the title to her mother's home and settle other inheritance issues in probate court, which allowed the client to repair the house so that it was habitable for her disabled daughter.
  • Another Civil Practice Clinic student obtained a $20,000 judgment against her client's ex-husband because he failed to make timely maintenance payments.
  • Numerous victims of domestic abuse were assisted with dissolution, paternity, custody, and visitation matters to secure a safe living environment for themselves and their children.

Helpful Links:
Indiana Justice Center
Self Service Legal Center

 

Criminal Defense Clinic

In the Criminal Defense Clinic, students represent indigent clients in criminal cases involving a variety of misdemeanor or Class D felony charges, which are referred to the clinic by the Marion County Public Defender Agency. Commonly encountered cases are theft, prostitution, driving while intoxicated, and drug offenses. Students represent clients at bond hearings, pretrial hearings, guilty plea and sentencing proceedings, suppression hearings, and bench and jury trials. Students enrolling in the Criminal Defense Clinic for a second semester have the opportunity to work on Innocence Project cases, which involve inmates who are making claims of actual innocence in post-conviction proceedings.

Examples of students making a difference for clients include:

  • In an interlocutory appeal, a Criminal Defense Clinic student successfully argued that the use of choke holds by law enforcement officers constitutes unreasonable force and requires suppression of any resulting evidence. The decision from the Indiana Court of Appeals made new law in the state.
  • A Criminal Defense Clinic client was charged with resisting law enforcement. It was alleged that he interfered with a police officer who was arresting his autistic son for the son's actions on a school bus. A video recording showed the police officer applying mace and choking the son at the point when the father approached and yelled, “Don't mace my son, he is autistic.” With criminal defense faculty sitting as co-counsel, a clinic student conducted the entire trial, from jury selection through closing argument. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in less than 15 minutes.

 

Disability Clinic

Disability Clinic students help unravel the complexities of the federal regulatory system to assist clients in qualifying for or maintaining disability benefits. Students in the Disability Clinic assume primary responsibility for their cases, working under the supervision of a clinical faculty member. As part of the case development, students interview clients and witnesses, gather and evaluate medical records, develop case theories, write persuasive memoranda, and provide administrative representation to persons with physical or mental disabilities. Legal problems involve obtaining initial disability determinations for Supplemental Security Income, continuation of disability benefits, overpayment of benefits, and other matters related to benefits before the Social Security Administration.

Examples of students making a difference for clients include:

  • Disability Clinic students recently helped preserve three clients' ongoing disability benefits.
  • Five children benefited from Disability Clinic students' efforts when those children were determined to be disabled and started receiving disability benefits.
  • Eight disabled adults started receiving benefits - with one receiving a retroactive award covering 10 years in excess of $40,000.

 

Immigration Clinic

Students represent both detained and non-detained clients in immigration matters before federal administrative agencies under the supervision of the professor.

 

Appellate Clinic

Students represent indigent clients in civil or criminal appeals under the supervision of clinical faculty. Students are responsible for all aspects of representation, including client communication, drafting motions and briefs to the Indiana Court of Appeals, presenting oral argument and litigating a petition for transfer to the Indiana Supremem Court.