The new Community Advocacy Clinic collaborates with community groups, coalitions and public interest legal organizations to prepare and pursue non-litigation strategies to address pressing legal needs in populations. Students learn substantive law and policy skills while identifying community needs, collaborating with a community partner, consulting with stakeholders, engaging in research and analysis, and completing an advocacy project.

The Community Advocacy Clinic for Winter 2024 will focus on local government transparency and access.

Winter 2024 CAC will focus on local government transparency and access. Community organizations and members in Detroit often face challenges in engaging in local government. This stems from obstacles such as inability to obtain what should be public information from the City of Detroit or limits on the ability to provide public comment. Students in the CAC will confront these issues, learn about applicable state and local laws, and propose projects that will address the underlying issues. Projects might include: a seminar to explain FOIA and how to complete forms and follow-up on submitted FOIA requests or a training on effective public comment models. 

The Community Advocacy Clinic for Fall 2023 is focusing on policing practices.

The Community Advocacy Clinic will be part of an ongoing collaboration with the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners and the American Bar Association Legal Education Police Practices Fellowship.  The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners is the civilian oversight board for the Detroit Police Department.   In this clinic students will learn about current issues in policing both at a national and local level.  Students will engage in research and analysis of policy issues impacting policing in Detroit.  Students will learn substantive law and policy skills.  Students will complete a research project for an assignment that benefits the current work of the Board of Police Commissioners.  

For students

Rather than representing clients in a particular area of law that remains unchanged from year to year, the exact nature of the clinic will vary based on the pressing legal needs identified by local, state or national partners in an identified community.

CAC is a 3 (three) credit clinic that meets the experiential education requirement.

Pre/co-requisites

• Completed all required first-year courses
• Good academic standing
• LEX 6800 Professional Responsibility

For donors

Please consider investing in the work of the clinics by making a gift. Visit giving.wayne.edu or contact Rob MacGregor, senior director of philanthropy, at (313) 577-4141 or rmacgregor@wayne.edu.

Past clinic partners

• Winter 2021: Triage Cancer

Contact

Due to COVID-19, Wayne Law's clinics are temporarily unable to accommodate walk-ins. Please use the information below to reach the Community Advocacy Clinic. 

For more information, email lawclinics@wayne.edu or call (313) 577-4015.