College of Law > Academics > Experiential Learning > Legal Clinics > Clinic Eligibility and Registration

Clinic Eligibility and Registration

Welcome to the Clinic Eligibility and Registration page! This site provides students information and materials for all year-long and semester-long clinics for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Clinic Application Process

Due to the class size and to avoid class scheduling conflicts, the DePaul Law Legal Clinics have a priority application deadline. The clinic application will open between March 18 and April 1, 2019. It is highly recommended that students apply online during that window so that they will be considered for their preferred legal clinic.

Important Dates

March 18
at 10:00 a.m.		 The Fall 2019 clinic registration opens.
April 1
at 10:00 a.m.		 Priority application deadline closes.  Please note that most of our Legal Clinics are oversubscribed so we encourage you to apply during the Priority Application Period for your best option to be accepted into your preferred legal clinic.
April 1 - 4 Clinic application review.
April 5
at 5:00 p.m.		 Notification of acceptance or denial to students.
April 8  College of Law registration begins.  Student should accept/reject offers directly to the clinic.

Clinic Supplemental Material

Below please find information about each of our eight clinics. Please read these materials carefully, as some include specific requirements. For more information, visit each clinic’s website.
 
Legal Clinics
 # of Credits Time-frame 711 Required Interview Required Accepts JD Evening Students Field clinic/
in-house/on-site clinic		 Estimated outside-of-class work per week (hours) Subject Matter

Asylum & Refugee

 3 (+6 in spring) Two Semester No Yes Yes In-house 10-15 for 3 credits; 20-25 for 6 credits US immigration law and practice, with a particular focus on US asylum 
Skills Gained: Prepare defenses to deportation or applications for relief including immigration applications and supporting documents; interview and counsel clients; work with experts; research human rights issues and U.S. substantive and procedural law; draft affidavits and legal arguments; and develop trial skills and other public presentation skills.

Business Law

 4 (+4 in spring) Two Semester No No No In-house A minimum of 8, although the hours requirements will increase or decrease each week depending on client needs. Counsel to small and mid-size businesses, including entrepreneurs from the Business School's Coleman Entrepreneurship Center.
Skills Gained: Transactional, including contract drafting, in-person and written client counseling, business law legal research and analysis; general business and corporate law.

Civil Litigation

 3 One Semester No No Yes In-house 5-10 Eviction and employment lawsuits; administrative hearings; consumer law and breach of contract lawsuits. 
​Skills Gained: Interview clients and witnesses, draft and analyze pleadings, discovery requests, discovery responses, and motions, and will engage in settlement negotiations, and trial work.​ ​

Civil Rights
Field Clinic

 4 (+4 in spring) Two Semester Yes No Yes Field Clinic 5-10 Police or prison misconduct as well other claims involving race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. 
Skills Gained: Interview plaintiffs, witnesses and potential new clients; develop the theory of a case; research and draft legal briefs, motions and written discovery; take and defend depositions; find and work with expert witnesses; and attend court appearances, hearings and trial. 

Criminal Appeals

 3 One Semester No No Yes In-house 5-10 Criminal Defense
​Skills Gained: Review the record from trial; confer with the client; research the law to provide support for their theories; and draft and file a brief. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
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Croak Community Legal Clinic

 ​3 ​One Semester ​No ​No ​Yes ​In-house ​5-10 ​ The Autumn 2019 semester will focus on family law, landlord-tenant law, and consumer law.  The Spring 2020 semester will focus on criminal justice.
Skills Gained: Students will give presentations on various topics to groups of people facing legal issues.  Immediately after these presentations, students working under the supervision of an experienced attorney, will provide free and confidential advice and limited-scope representation to individuals who attend the presentations.

Immigration Law

 3 One Semester (fall) No Yes Yes In-house 10-15 US Immigration Law
Skills Gained: Interview clients; assess eligibility for immigration benefits; prepare applications and supporting documents; counsel clients on options; prepare substantive law training for community-based organizations

Misdemeanor

 4 One Semester Yes No Yes In-house 5-10 Criminal Defense
Skills Gained: Client interview; client education and advice at different stages of the case; all aspects of motion and trial preparation; case-specific legal research, investigation techniques and strategies; witness preparation; negotiation with the government; and preparation for a bench or jury trial. 

Technology/Intellectual Property (TIP® Field Clinic)

 2 (+2 with seminar) One Semester No No Yes Field Clinic 5-10 Transactional services in the areas of patent, trademark and copyright law, internet, data protection and privacy.
Skills Gained: Conduct client interviews, research facts and law, counsel clients, draft communications to clients and to third parties, and strategize how to achieve the clients' goals.
Legal Clinic Table​​​

FAQ

Why should I consider a Legal Clinic?

​The Legal Clinics provide an opportunity to gain hands-on lawyering experience. Our clinical faculty are experienced attorneys with expertise in their fields. You will provide legal counsel to real clients who need help with real legal issues.

The Legal Clinics are also a chance to give back to the community and contribute to DePaul’s Vincentian mission. Most of our clients are from the local community and lack access to quality, affordable legal representation. 

Who are the clients we serve?

The vast majority of our clients are indigent individuals and families who cannot afford a private, fee-paid attorney. Most of our clients are referred to our clinics through legal aid agencies, community organizations, or courts that have established partnerships with us. ​​​

Who is eligible to enroll in a Legal Clinic?

Second and third year JD students are eligible to enroll, depending on which clinic you are interested, and if a 711 license is required. Thus, rising 2L and rising 3L students are eligible to apply.​

Who is NOT eligible to enroll in a Legal Clinic?

​1L students (including Two-Year JD students who are in their first year of studies) are not eligible for clinical courses. MJ students may not take clinical courses. 

Some clinics have prerequisites and co-requisites; please che​ck the clinic descriptions for more information. 
​

What is a 711 license and who is eligible?

Pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711, upper-level law students may be certified by the dean of the law school to be eligible to perform specified legal services under the supervision​ of a licensed attorney. Certain legal clinics require students to have, or be eligible for, a 711 license to enroll in the Clinic. For more information about the requirements for a 711 license, please see the University Academic Catalog here and the Student Affairs website here​.​​

How do I enroll in a clinical course?

To apply, you must visit our website at go.depaul.edu/legalclinic and submit the application form along with your resume. All of our clinics enroll by permission only. Students cannot enroll directly in a Legal Clinic on their own during the registration period, but must apply, be accepted and then enroll.

What documents do I need to apply?

Your resume in pdf format should be submitted as part of your application. Include your name e.g. Josh Clark _ Resume.​

When is the Legal Clinic registration?

The Legal Clinics have a Priority Application Period ending with a Priority Application Deadline. Applicants who apply by the Priority Application Deadline will be considered first for open slots. For most of our clinics, all open slots are filled during by applications received by the Priority Application Deadline.
 
If there are open slots available after the Priority Application Deadline, applications received after the Priority Application Deadline will be reviewed and processed in the order of receipt. Since our clinics are generally oversubscribed, we strongly encourage you to apply during the Priority Application Period for your best chance to be accepted into your preferred clinic.

The Priority Application Period and Deadline will be posted on the Legal Clinics website. For your reference, the Priority Application Period and Deadline are generally the 2nd and 3rd week in March for Fall semester registration and the 2nd and 3rd week in October for Spring registration, though that timing might shift by a week or so depending on the specific dates of law school registration.​ ​

What Legal Clinics accept applicants for the Fall and Spring Semesters?

Spring semester application for Fall enrollment:

Year-long clinics

o   Asylum and Refugee

o   Business Law  

o   Civil Rights Field Clinic

One-semester clinics

o   ​Civil Litigation

o   Criminal Appeals

o   Immigration

o   Misdemeanor​

o   TIP® Field Clinic

 

Fall semester application for Spring enrollment:

One-semester clinics​​

o   Civil Litigation

o   Criminal Appeals

o   Misdemeanor​

o   TIP® Field Clinic


Please note the year-long clinics do not take new applicants for the Spring semester. ​​

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What happens if I miss the Priority Application Deadline?

Students applying after the Priority Application Deadline will only be considered for Legal Clinics with slots that remain open after the Priority Application Deadline. Please note that most of our Legal Clinics are oversubscribed so we encourage you to apply during the Priority Application Period for your best option to be accepted into your preferred Legal Clinic.

Please DO NOT email the clinical professor asking for a spot or if they are still taking applications. If you have questions about which clinics have available slots, please either visit our website for updated information or email the legal clinic at depaullegalclinic@depaul.edu ​ 

What happens after I submit my application?

The legal clinic staff reviews your application and sends it to the professor for review. The professor makes the final determination of which applicants to accept into the clinic. You will be notified of whether your application was accepted, placed on a wait-list or declined. 

What does it mean if my application is put on a Wait-List?

Applications received by the Priority Application Deadline will be reviewed first. Those applicants will either be accepted into the clinic, placed on a Wait-List for the clinic the student applied to, or declined. If a student who was accepted into a clinic does not enroll or withdraws from that clinic, students on the Wait-List will be admitted prior to applications received after the Priority Application Deadline.

When do I hear back?

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance decision no later than the Friday prior to the date of the College of Law registration. Please visit the College of Law website for its registration information and date.

Can I apply to more than one Legal Clinic?

Yes, you can apply to a maximum of two Legal Clinics during the Priority Application Period, but you must list your first and second choice on your application. Students will be considered for their first choice clinic prior to being considered for their second choice clinic. 

How many clinics can I take?

Students are permitted to a​​​pply to more than one clinic, but are only permitted to take one clinic at a time. Students can take no more than 2 clinics in total. Also, please note that Clinics are considered non-classroom credits. With the exception of students enrolled in 3YP, the law school caps the credit hours a JD student can earn for non-classroom courses. For information on the policy governing maximum non-classroom credit hours, please see the Student Handbook available on the Student Affairs webpageStudent Affairs webpage. Students are encouraged to meet with the law school Academic Advisor​ to review the student’s current and anticipated accumulation of non-classroom hours.​​​

May I speak to someone or request a tour?

Yes, you have three choices: Email us at depaullegalclinic@depaul.edu, call us at 312-362-8294, or visit us at the DePaul Legal Clinics. We are located in the O’Malley building on the 10th floor (please note, our offices are only accessible via the O’Malley elevators). Feel free to stop by and request a tour or contact us for more information!

 

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