Poverty Law Clinic

The Poverty Law Clinic, offered in partnership with Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV), will provide 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: 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 Clinic will provide classroom instruction on poverty law and a simultaneous real-world clinic experience through the assignment of LSNV cases. The Clinic is a year-long (fall and spring semesters) with students earning four letter-graded credits each semester (for eight credits total). Two credits each semester will be in-class credits, and two credits will be out-of-class. The Clinic is open to students who have completed their first year of law school (2L, 3L, 4E students). There are no course prerequisites.