LAWS 2003 ‑ Clinical Law

CREDIT HOURS: 13

Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (the Clinic) provides third year students with an opportunity to practice lawyering skills in a community law office located in north-end Halifax. This thirteen-credit course can be taken over the Fall, Winter or Summer terms.

Students can take one other course along with the clinic.

While studying clinical law, students will conduct themselves as lawyers in a social justice context. As such, students will be responsible to counsel clients, negotiate with other lawyers, prepare cases and conduct hearings in Provincial and Supreme Courts as well as before administrative tribunals. Students are also exposed to files using law reform and community development as related to poverty law issues. All casework is supervised by staff lawyers or community legal workers. Each student initially receives 10-15 client files and community files. Formal seminar and skills training sessions take place during the first six weeks of the course. Skills training includes, interviewing and counselling, issue identification, building a theory, negotiation, direct examination, cross examination and basic trial skills. Seminars cover the topics of social assistance, residential tenancies, child protection, family and criminal law (YCJA), and law reform as well as other subject areas.Writing requirement: Students will create a Reflective Portfolio over the course of their term and submit selected evidence of their best written work. ENROLMENT: Limited to 16 students Fall and Winter; 12 students Summer.

Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure (LAWS 2361 & 2362). Family and Evidence are strongly recommended.

Co-requisite(s): Highly recommended but not mandatory: Evidence (LAWS 2008) and Family Law (LAWS 2110)

Assessment Method: Pass/Honours/Fail. Oral feedback is provided at mid-term and written feedback at the conclusion of the course. In the normal course, a student would not be assigned any numerical grade and a student's performance would not be counted in determining a weighted average. However, in the event of a failure, or that the student is otherwise no longer entitled to complete third year or to write a supplemental because he/she does not have an average of 55, a numerical grade will be assigned and this grade will be counted in the weighted average.

Restrictions: This course is restricted to Third Year students only. Students who have completed or wish to complete LAWS 2092: Clinical Class in Criminal Law are not eligible to take this course. Students can take one other course along with the clinic.

*This course is unavailable to International Linkages students.