FAQs for GGU Law Students Interested in the Environmental Law & Justice Clinic Seminar

The clinic is open to second- and third-year students who have successfully completed all first-year courses and have completed Evidence or are concurrently enrolled in Evidence. Prior or concurrent enrollment in Environmental Law and Policy is helpful for clinic students, but not required. Special scheduling arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis for night students whenever possible. Students work under the guidance of two professors and a graduate fellow to directly represent and advocate for clients in real-life public health, toxics, and environmental justice matters. Students support the clinic's docket by interviewing clients, researching and authoring memoranda, and drafting declarations and briefs. Students may also participate in settlement conferences, and attend community meetings and court hearings. Where circumstances allow, students may argue in court on behalf of clients. We typically represent community groups in low-income and minority communities, as well as environmental organizations. Sometimes, our clients come to us through our telephone intake process. Many of the groups we represent have been our clients since our inception. Clients also come to us through referrals from current and former clients and our community contacts. The seminar explores law and policy issues central to the environmental justice movement. Students will specifically explore matters that recur in the representation of clients disproportionately impacted by pollution. Topics covered include the ethical responsibilities of attorneys in environmental justice matters, the interplay of civil rights and environmental justice and the sources of environmental justice problems.

The seminar also provides information and the skills training necessary for effective legal advocacy. Skills training is tailored to the needs of the clinic's caseload, but typically covers environmental legal research and writing, fact investigation, and brief writing. The program allows a certified law student to perform permitted activities, such as representing clients at hearings under the supervision of a supervising attorney. ELJC clinicians are certified by the State Bar's PTLS program. For more information, see CalBar-PTLS. Clinic students enroll in the 3-unit Environmental Law & Justice Seminar plus an additional 1-3 clinic credits.

• 1 clinic credit = 10.5 hours/week, with at least 5 in-clinic hours
• 2 clinic credits = 13.5 hours/week, with at least 8 in-clinic hours
• 3 clinic credits = 17 hours/week, with at least 10 in-clinic hours

Students may return for additional clinic units in subsequent semesters without re-enrolling in the seminar. (Priority is given to students taking 5 or 6 units.) Yes. We accept students, such as LLM candidates, for the seminar without participation in the clinic. The seminar-only students must write an in-depth research paper. The Seminar examines the background of the environmental justice movement, legal theories to address environmental injustice, and general lawyer practice skills. Yes. You will learn a wide range of lawyering skills in the clinic that will be useful to you in other areas of law. In particular, students interested in going into fields that are governed by regulations, such as securities law, may find the clinic beneficial. You will gain confidence that you can practice law once you graduate, having worked with real clients in real cases involving a regulatory scheme.