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LAW-8034 Community Lawyering
Ms. Shirley Rodriguez,
2 credits day; 2 credits evening.
Students using this course to fulfill the experiential learning requirement may not also use this
same course to meet the legal writing requirement.
Litigation is just one tool of many tools in a lawyer’s toolkit. Lawyers engaged in community
lawyering work in collaboration with community and grassroots organizations to develop
strategic organizing campaigns and sustained best practices, create sound media and
communication campaigns, provide community legal education, and other forms of legal advice
and assistance to help shift the power dynamics in favor of the community organization and its
members. Community lawyers provide legal knowledge and skills that help support the
community organization’s fight against injustices within the legal and ethical frameworks of the
law.
In the context of supporting a worker’s rights and/or tenant’s rights organization, students will
engage in simulated exercises (such as client interviews, counseling sessions, and legal education
presentations) designed to provide an overview of community lawyering techniques, develop
relationship building skills, learn how to collaborate with community organizations in strategic
action planning, and increase cross-cultural competency. Guest speakers will provide stories
from the trenches and share success and challenges of community lawyering. Students may also
have the opportunity to visit community organizations to see the power of community lawyering
in action.
Faculty comments
: Grades will be based on the following: in-class participation (50%), weekly
self- evaluation and self-reflection assignments (20%), and a final project or presentation (30%).
Meets Experiential Learning Requirement
<<Course Updated: April 08, 2016>>