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 six (6) live-client clinical experiences: the Criminal Justice Clinic (CJC), the Fair Housing Clinic (FHC), the Civil and Human Rights Clinic (CHRC), the Investor Justice and Education Clinic (IJEC), the Intellectual Property and Trademark Clinic (IPTC), and the Child Welfare Clinic (CWC).
The CLC also offers the following externship opportunities: General (for students in diverse placement settings); Advanced (for students who have already participated in the externship program); Judicial; ADRC-DR: Rule of Law Human Rights Fact Finding Project; Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Environmental Justice; Criminal Defense; 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.
Intake Hours:
Mondays - Thursdays: 9:00am-5:00pm
Fridays: 9:00am-12:00pm
Saturdays and Sundays: CLOSED
(202) 806-8082
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
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
Human and Civil Rights Clinic
Justin Hansford
Associate Professor of Law and Supervising Attorney
Executive Director of the Thurgood Marshall Center for Civil Rights
Ajmel Querishi
Supervising Attorney
Intellectual Property and Trademark Clinic
Mariessa Terrell
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Investor Justice and Education Clinic
Bruce Sanders
Adjunct Professor and Supervising Attorney
Externship Programs
Carmia N. Caesar
Adjunct Professor and Director of Experiential Learning
Josephine Ross
Professor and Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Externship
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. For students interested in applying to a seat in our Spring semester clinics, they must complete an online application here. The following clinics are open for the 2019 Spring semester:
- Human and Civil Rights Clinic
- Investor Justice and Education Clinic
- Intellectual Property - Trademark Clinic
- Intellectual Property - Patent Clinic
Applications for the Spring 2019 semester are available here and are due by 12:00pm (noon) on Wednesday, October 3. Following application submission, students must schedule an interview on TWEN COURSE: Clinical Law Center 2018-2019 Interview Sign Ups.
Students who are accepted into any of the clinical programs will be notified by e-mail and/or posting prior to the start of the registration period for the upcoming spring semester. A short waitlist may also be maintained for each program; students who are waitlisted will be notified should a time slot in the desired clinical program become available. Once final decisions are made, students may need to decide which clinic or externship to enroll in, as students may enroll in only one (1) in-house clinic or externship at a time. Exceptions to this policy must be cleared by the clinical director and externship professor. When a student has been officially accepted into any of the Clinical programs or externships, the student’s name will be submitted to the law school’s Records Office for direct registration. If you are not automatically registered for a clinical program that you have been accepted into, please notify Bernice Ines via email at bernice.ines@law.howard.edu.
There is a separate application for our Externship programs. Externship applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
THE EXTERNSHIP APPLICATION CAN BE FOUND HERE.
Student Orientation
Participation in each 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.
Other Requirements
Students accepted into and who enroll in the Criminal Justice, Fair Housing, Human and Civil Rights Clinic, Investor Justice & Education, or Child Welfare Clinic 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 no later than 5:00 pm on April 13, 2018. 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 for Fall 2018 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.