University of San Francisco School of Law

Clinics

The USF Law Clinic is an in-house teaching law firm that handles real cases for clients pro bono. Under the direction of experienced faculty members, students earn academic credit while representing real clients through judicial and administrative proceedings in a range of civil, criminal defense and juvenile law cases. Students participate in client interviews, investigations, counseling, research, drafting, discovery, and negotiation. The USF Law Clinic includes several specialized clinics, which are listed below.

Child Advocacy Clinic

In the Child Advocacy Clinic, students receive training and, under the supervision of the clinic director, represent abused, neglected, or abandoned children in child welfare proceedings. Clinic activities include interviewing clients, investigation, writing and responding to motions, and court appearances on behalf of clients in San Francisco Superior and Juvenile Courts, as well as the California Court of Appeal and the California Supreme Court.

Mediation Clinic

Students in the Mediation Clinic have the opportunity to apply dispute resolution skills by serving as mediators in cases brought to the San Francisco Small Claims Court. These mediations involve most areas of the law with the exception of criminal and family law matters. After intensive training, clinic students conduct mediations and draft settlement agreements for parties who are able to resolve their disputes.

Criminal and Juvenile Justice Law Clinic

A successor to our first in-house program, the criminal clinic remains a core component of the USF Law Clinic. Students enrolled in this clinic represent indigent defendants in all phases of criminal proceedings, from arraignment through trial and appeal. They also represent defendants in juvenile court delinquency proceedings.

Employment Law Clinic

Students in this clinic represent clients in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission mediations involving alleged discrimination. Students investigate claims and prepare cases for mediation. As part of their preparation, students develop the theory of the case, determine damages, and write a mediation brief. Upon successful resolution of the case, students prepare a settlement agreement. In addition, students become involved in wage and hour disputes before the California Labor Commissioner. The clinic assists clients of the Instituto Laboral de la Raza, a nonprofit workers' rights organization that addresses the needs of low income workers and their families throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic

USF's innovative Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic focuses on critical human rights issues, including migrants' rights, application of the death penalty to juveniles, and trafficking of women. Participating students research and prepare presentations for the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Commission of the Status of Women.. Many of the students personally present their case to the Council at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, or to the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. Students also work on briefs detailing international law standards to U.S. courts and represent individual clients before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic

The Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic, in partnership with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, provides a variety of intellectual property legal services, such as domain name disputes in ICANN proceedings, copyright infringement notifications and counter notifications under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, as well as other trademark and copyright matters. The clinic is also a partner in "Chilling Effects," a joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and law school clinics at Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and Maine. Chilling Effects helps the public understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws provide for online activities.

Investor Justice Clinic

In the Investor Justice Clinic, students represent investors in actions involving allegations of wrongdoing by securities firms and/or their employees. Students appear in arbitrations and other proceedings before the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) as well as the NYSE Arca (formerly the Pacific Stock Exchange). The clinic is officially recognized by the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (FINRA) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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Predatory Lending Law Clinic

The Predatory Lending Clinic is offered as a clinical component of the Predatory Lending Law and Practice course. The course covers federal and state protections against predatory lending practices, including the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Unfair Business Practices Act. Practical training is provided on interviewing techniques, case planning, discovery, drafting, and working with clients who have cultural and language differences. Clinical placements send students to the California reinvestment Coalition, several local legal aid offices, Adult Protective Services, the San Francisco District Attorney's office, as well as to local law firms engaged in pro bono predatory lending work.

As a resource for homeowners facing loan default and/or foreclosure, the clinic has created "Loan Default and Foreclosure: A Brief Guide for California Homeowners." Download the guide:

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