Clinics

In the Spring 2015 issue of preLaw Magazine, the University of Idaho College of Law received an A- for Practical Training, which includes its clinics and externships. As a law student here, you will have many opportunities to apply classroom theory to hands-on legal practice. For example, third-year students who have earned their limited licenses to practice from the Idaho Supreme Court, may represent clients in a variety of different courts under the supervision of clinical faculty.

The clinical program seeks to provide students with meaningful real-life experiences while offering high-quality legal services to underrepresented members of the community.

Students may gain experience in the following six clinics.

Moscow

• Main Street Law Clinic represents clients in a wide variety of cases, including misdemeanor defense, family law, consumer protection and landlord-tenant disputes.
• Immigration Clinic students help immigrants who may be seeking asylum, permanent resident status, citizenship, status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and relief from removal. They represent clients in administrative courts and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Students also conduct educational programs in immigrant communities.
• Mediation Clinic provides mediation services where students hone their skills in communication, facilitation, negotiation, organization and ethics. Mediation can help resolve disputes, such as divorce, child custody, criminal, personal injury, small claims and more.
• Clinical Labs include Bankruptcy Lab.

Boise

• Economic Development Clinic enables students to advise Idaho counties, cities, tribes and non-governmental agencies with economic development-related issues typically arising in questions of land use law, administrative law, state and local government law, and environmental law.
• Low–Income Taxpayer Clinic represents low-income taxpayers in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. Students also conduct public information and outreach presentations to inform taxpayers for whom English is a second language and/or other low-income taxpayers about tax law issues.
• Small Business Legal Clinic assists small and start-up businesses referred to the clinic by the Idaho Small Business Development Center. Clients include both for profit and nonprofit companies in a variety of business areas. Students perform legal services, such as preparing formation and organizational documents, employee agreements and more.