LAW-2207 Legal Innovation and Technology Clinic Seminar
This is a part-time, year-long clinic offered for 6 credits per year. The clinic is open to Day, Evening, and Hybrid JD students in their last two (2) years of law school and Accelerated JD students in their last year. Students will receive 3 credits for the clinical seminar component and 3 credits for the experiential component.
Students do NOT need prior legal tech or innovation experience. The clinical seminar will meet remotely 2 hours a week on Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm and will include instruction in the relevant technical and professional skills. Some portion of the clinical seminar will also be devoted to student supervision and rounds. Students will be expected to devote a minimum of 6 ½ hours per week to the experiential component, corresponding to 3 graded credits per year.
Projects change from year to year based on Client needs. The Clinic looks to solve existing problems in new ways, using either technology or process improvement. For example, students have helped construct online guided interviews to help self-represented litigants (SRL) navigate the complexity of court processes. This included conducting research, interfacing with subject matter experts, and preparing guided interviews for the creation of forms.
In at least one instance, a student-created tool was used to stop a physical eviction in process. The constable was at the door and property was being removed from their home. The SRL filed a stay for the eviction from their home with our tools and it was granted, causing their property to be returned to their home.
The Lab tends to work with government and non-profit clients such as the MA Appeals Court, the Committee for Public Counsel Service (MA's public defenders), the Suffolk County DA's office, and various civil legal aid agencies in states other than Massachusetts.
Unlike the LIT Fellows, members of the LIT Clinic do NOT have to take a legal tech and innovation course in addition to their Clinic Seminar.