Domestic Violence Practicum (N. Lem*n)

This clinical consists of 11-19 hours per week in a domestic violence legal setting and 1 hour per week in a seminar class with the other students. Enrollment in the clinic will include 5 or more students. Interns will keep logs of work done and any questions, concerns, or reactions, reflecting on what they are learning.

There are several different domestic violence legal agencies in the greater Bay Area where interns may work. Some interns will be certified so that they can represent clients at restraining order hearings, having interviewed the clients and drafted the restraining orders. Since the time between the interview and the hearing is usually only three weeks, it is possible for students to go through this entire process with many clients in a 14-week semester. The issues involved in restraining orders can be complex, involving restitution, payment of debts or child support, custody and visitation, and property control, in addition to the standard no-contact and stay-away orders. There may also be overlapping actions involving the same parties in the juvenile or criminal courts or other family law actions. Of course, other legal issues also arise in the course of the interview, typically in the areas of immigration, housing, welfare, and consumer rights. The students also may use counseling skills, as their clients are in crisis.

Placements also include the Domestic Violence Units of several different District Attorney’s Offices, working with the Public Policy and Research Committee of the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence on pending state bills and other domestic violence issues as well as writing amicus briefs, the Domestic Violence Project of the Employment Law Center at the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (family law, immigration, and other types of cases), and Free Battered Women/The Habeas Project, which works to help incarcerated battered women get out of prison.

The classroom component will be a discussion of how the internship is going generally, with the focus on ethics, the lawyering process, case discussion, and any specific legal questions that arise. There will be some reading assigned, covering specifics of California domestic violence law and the lawyering process.

Students are encouraged to enroll in TeleBEARS Phase I so that placements may be arranged, and are urged to contact the instructor before enrollment begins. If the clinic is over enrolled, selection will be made by the instructor. This clinical has been offered at Boalt since 1989, shortly after Lecturer Nancy Lemon started an annual seminar in Domestic Violence Law.