Community Legal Practicum

Catalog description

*pending faculty approval Satisfies Experiential Learning requirement One-semester The Community Legal Practicum at Catholic Charities offers students a structured, hands-on introduction to providing legal services to severely disadvantaged clients in a community setting. Students will be placed at ?Compassion Corner,? a comprehensive service site operated by Catholic Charities in downtown Pittsburgh, where they will staff a legal intake program three hours per week under the direct supervision of a licensed attorney/faculty member. The practicum will mirror Catholic Charities? holistic service model that addresses the reality that an individual?s needs rarely fall into a single category of service but frequently include legal problems or concerns. Students will be trained to identify the ways in which legal issues intersect with health needs, economic stability, and social wellbeing. They will work with clients presenting issues in areas including, but not limited to, housing instability, re-entry and record relief, public benefits, family support, healthcare directives, consumer debt, and justice involvement. Students will also contribute to the development of referral resources and educational materials for use by other service providers, including medical students delivering health care at Compassion Corner who may encounter patients with legal needs woven into their clinical placements. In addition to their on-site service, students will participate in a weekly two-hour seminar providing substantive and theoretical foundations for their fieldwork. This seminar will include guest lectures by practitioners in a number of areas that affect our client population, including expungements, housing, and public benefits.