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

• Community Law Clinic represents clients in a wide variety of cases, including misdemeanor defense, family law, consumer protection and landlord-tenant disputes.
• Immigration Litigation & Appellate 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.
• Clinical Labs include Bankruptcy Lab.

Boise

• Family Justice Clinic is a partnership to provide free legal services to victims of domestic and sexual abuse referred from FACES to the clinic. Students handle all aspects of representation of survivors, including gathering all information needed to determine the legal issue at hand and which, if any, legal services will be provided.
• Entrepreneurship Law 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.
• Housing Clinic focuses primarily on residential tenant eviction defense, habitability, and security deposits. Students participating in this clinic interview clients of limited means; review leases and other discovery materials; draft correspondence, pleadings, and other memorandum of law; develop case theory; negotiate with landlords; and prepare for and conduct mediations, hearings, and trials.