Frequently Asked Questions

SPRING 2009 CLINIC APPLICATIONS DUE DECEMBER 1.

Spring 2008 WERC class	Fall 2007 WERC clinicians
From left - William Walraven, Sara Matlin, Marco Garzon A., Lauren Laundis, Prof. Marci Seville, Alexis Wilber, Jocelyn Maier, and Jeff Maisen. Not in photo: Caraine Leon Guerrero and Prof. Hina Shah.	Back row, from left - Claudia Villa, Kara Farina, Julie Mercer, April Bogler, and Katie Gallagher. Front row: Cara Panebianco, Vanessa Candelaria, and Betty Kwan.

Students get exciting, hands-on experience representing low-income workers in various types of employment disputes. Clinic students, under the supervision of Professors Marci Seville and Hina B. Shah, conduct telephone intakes, assess and investigate cases, interview, advise and counsel clients, research and write substantive legal memoranda and/or legal briefs, represent clients at administrative hearings, file administrative claims and advocate for clients as needed. Clinic students have represented clients in areas including unpaid wages, unemployment insurance appeals, family and medical leave, and many types of discrimination claims (sex, race, sexual harassment, disability, pregnancy, and national origin/language discrimination). Students usually assist many individual clients during the semester and may also have the opportunity to work as a team on complex litigation.

The Clinic represents clients from diverse backgrounds throughout the Bay Area with a special focus on low-income, immigrant women. Clients are referred to the Clinic by former clients, attorney referral agencies like the San Francisco Bar Association, private attorneys, the courts, employment/labor agencies such as the Employment Development Department, non-profit legal organizations such as the Employment Law Center, social service agencies, unions and other organizations. Clients also learn about the Clinic through media coverage. The Clinic accepts new cases from August through November and January through April.

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 Employment Law or Employment Discrimination is helpful for clinic students but it is not required. The clinic is not limited to women students; men are encouraged to apply. Special scheduling arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis for night students whenever possible.

Students interested in working with low-income clients from diverse backgrounds and students with fluency in Cantonese and Spanish are encouraged to apply.

Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to Professors Marci Seville and Hina B. Shah and are interviewed. Deadlines for applications are published each semester in the law school news. WERC's offices are located at 62 First Street, Suite 240. Students or prospective students who would like more information about the clinic can contact the clinic faculty.

Clinic students enroll in the 3 unit seminar plus an additional 1, 2, or 3 clinic units

• 1 Clinic unit = 10 clinic hours per week (total of 4 units)
• 2 Clinic units = 12.5 clinic hours per week (total of 5 units)
• 3 Clinic units = 15 hours per week (total of 6 units)

The Seminar combines skills training and substantive law issues affecting low-wage workers. The seminar's substantive law topics include employment discrimination, workplace harassment, wage and hour laws, pregnancy discrimination and family and medical leave issues, unemployment benefits, wrongful termination, labor law, disability discrimination, and issues affecting immigrant workers. We emphasize a practical approach to these subject areas, with extensive discussion of California law as well as federal protections. Skills training includes interviewing, counseling, claims filing procedures, and case theory development.

The Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS) program allows a certified law student to perform permitted activities such as represent clients at hearings under the supervision of a supervising attorney. WERC clinicians are certified by the State Bar. For more information, see: PTLS

Yes. When space is available, we accept a limited number of students for the Seminar, without participation in the Clinic. The seminary-only students must prepare an in-depth research paper. Contact Professors Seville or Shah if you are interested in the Seminar only.

Yes. You will learn a wide range of lawyering skills in the Clinic that will be useful to you in other areas of law. These may include client counseling, legal research and writing, case investigation, witness interviews, and various administrative hearing skills such as opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.