University of Utah : S.J. Quinney College of Law

Law Practice Clinic

The Law Practice Clinic supports various clinical placements that will allow the student to explore the professional role of the attorney and to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge about complying with the rules of professional conduct. Placements will be with solo practitioners or in small law offices to work on pro bono cases, or with non-profit agencies.  Students will learn about the day-to-day practice in one area of law (e.g. family, immigration, employment, bankruptcy, consumer, elder, disability) which is under-served by our profession.  From this vantage point students will study how a law office is managed and consider the professional responsibility of lawyers. The ultimate goal of this clinic is to permit students to explore an area of practice of interest to the student and to prepare to practice in a solo or small office setting handling such matters.

Course: Legal Profession—Clinical (3 cr., graded, Fall) The Model Rules of Professional Conduct are studied together with the nature of the legal profession, the roles of lawyers and the ways in which those roles create legal, political, moral and personal conflicts. Legal Profession is required for graduation, and this version of the course satisfies that requirement.

This Clinical section of the course requires concurrent enrollment in a clinic and placement at a small private office engaged in pro bono work or at a non-profit law office. Clinic enrollment is required in order to put the topics covered in context, to share concrete examples of the rules put into practice, and to explore professional identity.  This section will also cover law office management issues important to solo and small office practice.   

Placements: (3 cr. P/F, Fall).  Placements will be pre-arranged or individually approved with private practitioners in solo practice or small office practice or with appropriate non-profit agencies. Students in private offices will work on pro bono (or reduced fee) cases in order to enhance the public’s access to legal services.  Students with background legal knowledge in the relevant area of law may be given priority in placement.  In addition to working on the office’s pro bono cases, students will research ethical issues of interest to that office, reporting on the issues to the class and providing potentially useful consultation to the office.

Students may also volunteer at the PBI Family Law Clinic, the PBI Guadalupe Clinic, or the PBI Immigration Clinic and handle pro bono cases arising out of those Pro Bono Initiative clinics under the supervision of volunteer clinic lawyers.

Faculty: Professor Linda F. Smith

Registration & Placement:  To enroll in the clinic and class, students must complete the Clinical Application and Placement Preference Form in order to indicate placement preferences and background.