Embark on an Exciting Journey

Serving DC Residents for over 50 years

For over 50 years, the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law) has been committed to championing the legal rights of low-income and historically marginalized communities. Our history of excellence comes from a foundation of pioneering clinical education – experiential, immersive learning focused on the practical art of lawyering by serving real human needs. Our Clinical Program has served as a model for law schools across the country.

Welcome to the UDC Law Clinical Program

Always ranked highly for clinical legal training, UDC Law trains law students to practice law, promote justice, and change lives.  

The Clinical Program at UDC Law provides free legal services to citizens of the District of Columbia and the D.C. Metro area who could not otherwise afford representation. The clinical approach places theory within the only context in which it is truly meaningful: the resolution of actual legal disputes affecting individuals and communities in the District and beyond.

 

Faculty and students at UDC Law work closely with individuals and organizations to advance access to justice while learning substantive law and lawyering skills. This clinical experience not only contributes to a better understanding of the law learned in the classroom but also gives UDC Law graduates a significant advantage in the workplace over those whose legal education lacks such practical experience. Legal ethics and professional responsibility in the practice of law are emphasized throughout clinics.

For Students

Students at UDC Law

Being the heart and mission of UDC Law,  Clinic is not only guaranteed at UDC Law but mandatory in order to graduate. We place such value on experiential education that all full-time students earn at least fourteen clinic credits by participating in two seven-credit clinics, and all part-time students earn at least ten clinic credits by participating in a ten-credit clinical semester offered in the evening. Typically, the student-faculty ratio in clinics ranges from 4:1 to 8:1, offering intensive one-on-one instruction, small group teaching and feedback.

Enrollment in the School’s clinics is limited to matriculated full-time and part-time students and governed by a set of Clinic Guidelines. Currently, we offer nine clinics where students obtain their student attorney certification to represent individuals and organizations facing real legal challenges.

Practicing law under close supervision, student attorneys are the primary legal representatives for low-income (below approximately 200% of the federal poverty guidelines) and underrepresented people living in the D.C. area.  Students work on complex legal matters, including litigation, transactional facilitation, policy advocacy and community education. We offer clinical experiences in nine substantive legal areas including immigration, criminal law, tax, family law, youth justice, legislation, community economic development, housing and whistleblower protection. 

Students at UDC Law

What kinds of cases does the Clinic accept?  We represent  people living in the D.C. area who have legal issues in the District, including: domestic violence-related family law; juveniles (14-24 years old), adult misdemeanor criminal cases; federal income tax disputes; immigration cases; non-profits and small businesses, housing issues, and whistleblower rights.

Clinic Highlights: Community Development Law Clinic

Shagaf Shehadeh ’22 and Sonya Williams (Class of 2023) on the greater impact of cases they worked on in the Community Development Law Clinic

Can the Clinic Help Me?

For cases involving other matters in the District of Columbia, please consult:

 

In Maryland, please consult:

 

In Virginia, please consult:

To see a directory of nonprofit agencies in your area that may be able to help you, please go to www.LawHelp.org and click on your state. The LawHelp platform is maintained by legal aid agencies in each state to provide information and resources to the public.

Explore all of our Law Clinical Programs

Community Development Law Clinic

The clinic often works in concert with community-based business centers and other professionals to provide clients with comprehensive professional consulting services.

Criminal Defense and Racial Justice Clinic

The Clinic exposes students to the work of public defenders, teaching them how to use a range of advocacy tools to provide zealous, compassionate, and client-centered representation to those harshly impacted by the criminal legal system. 

General Practice Clinic

The General Practice Clinic focuses on representing and advocating for survivors of domestic violence. Student attorneys take on a mix of advocacy projects in the DC legal community and direct client representation in family law litigation cases. 

Housing Advocacy and Litigation Clinic

Created in 1968, Rising for Justice (formerly named D.C. Law Students in Court) is the oldest and one of the most highly regarded clinical programs in the city.

Immigration & Human Rights Clinic

The Clinic advocates for clients living in Washington, DC, and the greater metropolitan area and focuses on cases before the Arlington immigration court and Arlington asylum office. 

Legislation and Civil Rights Clinic

The Legislation Clinic seeks to train students in the various skills necessary for effective legislative lawyering. The Clinic’s mission is two-fold:

Tax Clinic

UDC Law’s Tax Clinic provides students with hands-on experience representing taxpayers with active tax controversies before the IRS, in U.S. Tax Court and, in limited instances, state tax agencies. Students primarily represent low income, Metro DC residents.

Whistleblower Protection Clinic

The Whistleblower Protection Clinic (formerly known as the Government Accountability Project Clinic) provides students with a unique opportunity to work with leaders in the legal community who preserve freedom of speech by protecting those who blow the whistle on corporate and governmental abuses of power that betray the public trust.

Youth Justice Clinic

At its core, the Youth Justice Clinic seeks to improve disparate outcomes for youth in the District of Columbia. The clinic recognizes the layers of barriers that push youth into the juvenile system, including racism, adultification bias, education inequity, and housing instability. The clinic takes a holistic approach to achieving its mission.

Conversations with Clinicians

Free and open to the public!

In Spring 2022, the UDC Law Clinical Program launched Conversations with Clinicians, a series that brings leading experiential legal educators from across the country to the UDC Law community to discuss topics of interest to the clinical legal education community.

Join us each semester for a new season as we dive into some of the most pressing issues facing our professional community.

Our Team

The leaders of our UDC Law Clinical Program

Tiffany Smith

MANAGING ATTORNEY OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIENTIAL PROGRAMS

Contact: (202) 274-7315

Professor Ieshaah Murphy

DIRECTOR OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE AND RACIAL JUSTICE CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-6683
Email: ieshaah.murphy@udc.edu

Professor Andrew Budzinski

CO-DIRECTOR OF GENERAL PRACTICE CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-7438
Email: andrew.budzinski@udc.edu

Professor Tianna Gibbs

CO-DIRECTOR OF GENERAL PRACTICE CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-5492
Email: tianna.gibbs@udc.edu

Professor Sakinah Tillman

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DIRECTOR, TAX CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-5480
Email: sakinah.tillman@udc.edu

Professor David Yellin

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING ADVOCACY AND LITIGATION CLINIC

Contact: (202) 424-2229

Email: dyellin@risingforjustice.org

Professor Daniel Clark

DIRECTOR OF THE TENANT JUSTICE PROJECT

Contact: (202) 638-4798 ext. 210

Email: dclark@risingforjustice.org

Professor Marcy L. Karin

Professor Marcy L. Karin

DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATION CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-6657
Email: marcy.karin@udc.edu

Professor Tom Devine

DIRECTOR OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION CLINIC & LEGAL DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT

Contact: (240) 888-4080
Email: tomd@whistleblower.org
Professor Saleema Snow

Professor Saleema Snow

DIRECTOR OF YOUTH JUSTICE CLINIC

Contact: (202) 274-7439

Email: vanita.snow@udc.edu

Anne Schaufele

Co-Director of Immigration and Human Rights Clinic

Contact: (202) 274-7300
Email: anne.schaufele@udc.edu
Jocelyn Cazares Willingham Headshot 1

Joceyln Cazaras-Willingham

Co-Director of Immigration and Human Rights Clinic

Contact: (202) 274-7449

Email: jocelyn.cazaraswilli@udc.edu

Shuba Sankaran Headshot

Shuba Sankaran

CLINIC STAFF ASSISTANT

Contact: (202) 274-5073

Professor Jerome Hughes

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LAW CLINIC

Contact: (617) 763-7876

Email: jerome.hughes@udc.edu