Community Legal Clinic

The Community Legal Clinic (CLC) is a three-credit, live-client course open to second- and third-year students. Students represent low-income clients in a variety of areas including guardianships, disability benefits, short-term family law matters, and simple wills. Students also may partner with local service providers on legal projects.

Students serve as the primary legal representatives, under faculty supervision. As such, they handle client interactions, fact investigation, legal drafting, court proceedings, and negotiations. Students are expected to devote 10-12 hours per week to their client responsibilities. This time includes a weekly supervision meeting and office hours.

Classes are scheduled three times per week. The classes introduce students to relevant areas of law and procedure and to lawyering skills. We focus in particular on problem solving and cultural humility. Class time enables students to practice the skills they need to work with their clients and to bring problems from their client work to the full staff of the clinic for discussion and assistance.

If a student has completed 44 credit hours and has taken or is taking the Legal Profession course, the student may be eligible for certification as a legal intern. Certification is required to appear before state administrative law judges and in court.

Additional requirement: All students who enroll in the CLC must consent to criminal background and sex offender registry checks pursuant to the Indiana University Policy for Programs Involving Children. More information about the policy and use of information obtained through these checks is available at: (link).

Enrollment requires permission of the clinic director. To apply, please send a statement of interest (max. 200 words OR 5 minute recording) and a copy of your resume (no GPA or rank please) to Carwina Weng (wengc@indiana.edu), two days before the deadline for 3L registration.