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Home Clinics & Externships Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic»Students

ICAC Students

Students

The Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic combines legal theory and interdisciplinary practice, preparing students to advocate across disciplines.

The interdisciplinary clinic team celebrating with their client who became a legal permanent resi... The interdisciplinary clinic team celebrating with their client who became a legal permanent resident as a result of the team's representation in Family Court and Immigration Court.

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Clinic students meet twice weekly in an 80 minute seminar focused on transferable legal skills including interviewing, counseling, case theory, oral advocacy and trial advocacy. These sessions are supplemented with presentations from experts in mental health and social work focusing on the emerging research on adolescent development and trauma-informed holistic legal practice. Students participate in simulations including an initial interview session and best interests trial, which are reviewed in individual supervision sessions providing substantive feedback on practical lawyering skills. Students work on teams with graduate level social work students from Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice as the front line attorneys and advocates for youth in crisis. Through weekly supervision meetings with the faculty director, students confront the range of lawyering skills in their fieldwork cases in a structured and supportive learning environment. 

Example Clinic Work:

  • Students represent former foster youth on the verge of homelessness, petitioning the Family Court to allow them to re-enter foster care after the age of 18 and receive supportive case management and social services.
  • Students argue for children who were abused and neglected in their country of origin to remain with caring guardians in Philadelphia, while ensuring that their educational, mental health and health needs are being met.
  • Students contribute to the Clinic’s engagement with national and local partner organizations, including experts from CHOP, Nationalities Service Center, and HELP: MLP, with a focus on bridging individual client representation with broader systemic reform.

The Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic’s work is the subject of regular advocates roundtables, attended by leading lawyers specializing in this work from the area. Program graduates have gone on to fellowships and positions of leadership in this emerging field.

Registration information

Child Advocacy Clinic: One semester course offered both Fall and Spring semesters
# of Credits:

7 credits (may drop one credit in exchange for satisfying 35 hours of student’s pro bono requirement).
Pre-requisites: None
Registration Information: Open to JD 3L students and 2nd semester 2L students.

Sharepoint Access: Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic SharePoint