The Appellate Civil Rights Clinic represents litigants and amici in appeals of civil rights claims in federal and state courts. Typical appeals include § 1983 cases arising from alleged police misconduct and unconstitutional prison conditions; cases alleging discrimination in employment and public accommodations; and cases alleging unlawful treatment stemming from protected First Amendment activity, poverty or socioeconomic status, and the exercise of other rights. Students will work together and handle all aspects of appellate representation, albeit with close faculty supervision, such as identifying potential appellate issues, mastering relevant portions of the lower court record, conducting legal research, drafting briefs, and presenting oral argument.
Martin J. Siegel, Appellate Civil Rights Clinic Director
The Civil Justice Clinic represents low income clients in a wide range of Texas civil litigation matters, including family, guardianship, probate, landlord/tenant, deceptive trade practices, real property, bankruptcy, and debt-collection. Representation will include court/trial appearances, mediation, negotiation, document drafting and case investigation.
Ryan Marquez, Civil Justice Clinic Direct
The Criminal Defense Clinic handles a select number of misdemeanor cases with a high probability of going to trial, such as assaults, thefts, driving while intoxicated and drug possession.
Erik Locascio, Adjunct Clinical Professor
Students in the Military Justice Clinic will be assigned to defense teams in military criminal justice cases pending adverse administrative board hearings and felony-level courts-martial. Student involvement, once assigned to a defense team, will begin with client intake and end upon adjudication of the case at administrative board, trial, or agreed upon alternate disposition with the government.
Clinic coursework will consist of a classroom component and a practical component.
Jason Marquez, Adjunct Clinical Professor
The Entertainment Law Clinic is an advanced entertainment law course for students seeking practical experience in transactional and administrative aspects of the entertainment industry. Students will represent creators, businesses, and non-profits in the music, film and television, dance, and art businesses with a focus on trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling, contract drafting and negotiation, and royalty stream creation and retention.
Justen S. Barks, Entertainment Law Clinic Director
The Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic provides students with the perspective of the business decision maker. Students assist small businesses and non-profit corporations with legal matters encountered on a daily basis, including negotiating lease agreements, selecting proper organizational structure, and developing employment policies.
Christopher Heard, ECD Clinic Director
The Immigration Clinic specializes in representing asylum seekers, both children and adults, seeking protection from persecution and torture in their home countries from all parts of the world.
J. Anna Cabot, Immigration Clinic Director
The Mediation Clinic provides trained student mediators to the civil justice courts in Harris County, the BBB, the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center, and the EEOC. Students mediate consumer issues, landlord/tenant disputes, breach of contract cases, and Hague Convention (International Kidnapping) cases.
Tasha Willis, Mediation Clinic Director
Having a criminal or juvenile delinquency record can create major barriers in obtaining employment, financial aid, housing, public benefits, educational and licensing opportunities, and many other benefits. Most juvenile records and certain adult records can be sealed or removed from an individual’s criminal history, thereby increasing opportunities for employment, education, and more.
This course will give law students the opportunity to assist real clients and to learn how to practice in three different court systems (juvenile, criminal, and civil) and train students in three different types of records clearing procedures: (1) juvenile records sealing; (2) expunctions of adult criminal records; and (3) nondisclosure orders for adult criminal records.
Grecia Cepeda Hendrickson, Records Sealing and Expunction Clinic Director
Students must apply to the Clinic by submitting the online application. Students should not attempt to enroll themselves in these courses via PeopleSoft. If you're accepted, the Clinic Program Manager will enroll you via the Office of Student Affairs.
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Other Opportunities
TIN, established at the Law Center in 2000, is the oldest innocence program in Texas, and has two divisions.
Capital Division
The Capital Division represents death-sentenced inmates at every stage of their state and federal habeas appeals. The capital division's work includes a substantial degree of so-called crisis litigation, which involves analyzing requests for assistance from inmates who have been denied relief in their habeas proceedings and for whom an execution date is imminent and, in appropriate circumstances, providing such inmates further representation. The Capital Division also provides research and investigative support for other attorneys representing Texas death row inmates.
Jeffrey R. Newberry, Clinical Supervising Attorney
Non-Capital Division
The Non-Capital Division works to exonerate inmates who did not commit the crimes for which they were wrongfully-convicted. In order to fulfill its mission, the Non-Capital Division evaluates, investigates, and litigates only claims of actual innocence. The non-capital division also provides policy recommendations aimed at reducing the incidence of wrongful convictions.
Cassandra Jeu, Clinical Supervising Attorney and Director of TIN
