Poverty Law Field Program
The Poverty Law Field Program is partnered with Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV). It provides students with first-hand experience practicing poverty law — laws that apply particularly to the poor and disadvantaged members of our community in the most important aspects of an individual’s life, including but not limited to:
- Housing (preventing homelessness and ensuring habitable living conditions);
- Safety (protective orders for the health and safety of families);
- financial stability (consumer protection matters which combat illegal business tactics and protect limited income); and
- Elder advocacy (assisting senior citizens with personal declarative documents, fighting elder abuse, and nursing home discharge matters).
The field program provides classroom instruction on poverty law and a simultaneous real-world field program experience through case assignments at LSNV. It allows students to provide direct representation to individual clients in the types of matters listed above. Students will meet with clients, research relevant law, propose case theories, draft pleadings and other legal documents, conduct trial preparation, and represent individuals in court with an LSNV attorney supervisor (for students with their Third Year Practice Certificate).
The Field Program is open to all upper-classmen who have completed their first year of law school (2L, 3L, 4E students).
Credits: 4 per semester
Program Length: Year-long
Program Director(s): Vincent Smith
Application Process: Resume, transcript, and statement of interest (≤500 words)
For more information, read our course catalog descriptor.