Mission Statement
The primary goals of the Clinical Law Center are to (1) provide a high quality course of training for law students, allowing students to develop the skills necessary for career-long commitments to public service; (2) provide excellent civil-rights oriented legal services to underserved and indigent individuals; (3) serve as a nerve center in Howard’s social justice operations; and (4) help develop the next generation of civil rights attorneys.
The Clinical Law Center offers nine (9) live-client clinical experiences: the Criminal Justice Clinic (CJC), the Fair Housing Clinic (FHC), the Civil Rights Clinic (CRC), the Investor Justice and Education Clinic (IJEC), the Intellectual Property Patent Clinic (IPPC), the Intellectual Property Trademark Clinic (IPTC), Movement Lawyering Clinic (MLC), Reentry Clinic (RC) and the Child Welfare Clinic (CWC).
The CLC also offers the following externship opportunities: Public Interest (for students in diverse public interest or public service placement settings); Advanced Public Interest (for students who have already participated in the externship program); Judicial; ADR Consortium; Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Environmental Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution Consortium (EEOC, Dept. of Homeland Security, International Trade Administration); and the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund ADR Program.
Intake
During the academic school year, the Clinical Law Center Intake Office is staffed by our student attorneys. We welcome calls or walk-ins from the community and our student attorneys will try their best to assist you. Please note that the Clinical Law Center may not be able to take your case, but we will work with you to find helpful resources and referrals.
The Intake office is currently closed and will not be taking cases at this time. We will reopen remotely January 24, 2022.
Faculty and Staff
ADR Program
Homer C. La Rue
Co-Director and Professor
John L. Woods Jr.
Co-Director and Supervising Attorney
CLINICS
Child Welfare Clinic
Sabine Browne
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Civil Rights Clinic
Ed Williams
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Tiffany Wright
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Criminal Justice Clinic
Lucius Outlaw III
Associate Professor and Supervising Attorney
Stephanie Johnson
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Fair Housing Clinic
Valerie J. Schneider
Associate Professor and Supervising Attorney
Director of the Clinical Law Center
Keeshea Turner Roberts
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Movement Lawyering Clinic
Justin Hansford
Associate Professor of Law and Supervising Attorney
Executive Director of the Thurgood Marshall Center for Civil Rights
Intellectual Property Patent Clinic
Darrell Mottley
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Intellectual Property Trademark Clinic
Erik Pelton
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Investor Justice and Education Clinic
Bruce Sanders
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Reentry Clinic
Josephine Ross
Professor of Law and Supervising Attorney
Olinda Moyd
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Externship Programs
Kelli Neptune
Adjunct Professor, General and Advanced Externships
Director of Externships and Public Interest Programming
Cheryl C. Nichols
Professor and Supervising Attorney
Bruce Sanders
Adjunct Professor, SEC Externship
Alice M. Thomas
Associate Professor and IRS Externship Coordinator
Student Application Process
To be eligible for enrollment in any CLC program, interested students must first complete an application package, which may include a resume and a personal statement of interest. Students may apply to multiple programs. There is a global application for the following Fall and yearlong programs:
- Child Welfare Clinic
- Criminal Justice Clinic
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Fair Housing Clinic
- Investor Justice and Education Clinic
- Intellectual Property Patent Clinic
- Intellectual Property Trademark Clinic
- Movement Lawyering Clinic
- Reentry Clinic
- WBG ADR Program
- ADR Consortium Externship
In the Spring, students may apply to the following programs:
- Civil Rights Clinic
- Investor Justice and Education Clinic
- Intellectual Property Patent Clinic
- Intellectual Property Trademark Clinic
- Movement Lawyering Clinic
- Reentry Clinic
For more information about the Clinic Selection process, see here.
There is a separate application for our Externship programs. Externship applications are accepted on a rolling basis. For General and Advanced externships, you must secure your placement and apply to the program no later than the first day of add/drop.
Student Orientation
Participation in each Fall and yearlong clinical program requires that students attend and participate in a mandatory orientation program prior to the first week of classes. Students should take into account the orientation requirement and schedule their summer break activities accordingly.
For Spring clinic programs, students must attend a mandatory orientation program upon returning from Winter break.
Other Requirements
Students accepted into and who enroll in the Clinical Law Center may be required to obtain student bar licenses or certifications issued by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals or other government agencies. Certification or temporary student bar license applications must be completed, fully typewritten, by accepted students and turned into the CLC Reception office. Handwritten applications will not be processed. The CLC will then obtain the Dean’s certification and submit the applications to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals or other government agencies as applicable.
Students accepted into and who enroll in the IP Trademark Clinic and IP Patent Clinic will be required to apply separately to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for their temporary practice number. Students must complete their USPTO applications in dark ink and submit the originals to the Supervising Attorney for that program.