From the Prof

As you heard in orientation, law school is often very hard on law students' mental health. One antidote to depression for many students is to remember why you came to law school. Many students came to law school because they are interested in helping people. If that's you, getting involved in a law-related volunteer activity in which you have contact with real people is a good idea. The challenge is finding activities that 1) are suitable for beginning law students with limited knowledge, and 2) do not require an excessive committment of time. This page describes four such opportunities and also includes links to suggested readings.

Four Law-related Activities for 1L's

Three student organizations at the law school give you an opportunity to provide much needed assistance to people in contexts that are consistent with your skill level, and I will be organizing a fourth aimed specifically at law students. One thing I like about the first two projects listed below is that they involve areas of law that are relevant to your Property class that begins winter quarter.

Housing Justice Project

The King County Bar Association's Housing Justice Project provides advice and representation to individuals who are at risk of being evicted from their homes and thus, often, at risk of homelessness. The Housing Justice Project will present a 3-4 hour training session on Tuesday, November 9, from 3:30 to 7 in Room 441. A light dinner will be provided.  First year students can then interview clients on Friday mornings once a month in downtown Seattle or Kent, make follow-up phone calls, or do research projects.

Unemployment Law Project

The Center for Labor and Employment Justice coordinates a project aimed especially at first year law students in which 1L's attend a two-hour training and then do initial interviews of individuals who have been denied unemployment benefits at the Unemployment Law Project in downtown Seattle. This involves a discrete area of the law and a limited time committment.   Here are the details:

The Immigrant Family Assistance Project

IFAP is a student-run organization that trains and matches law students with pro bono attorneys to work together to represent immigrant victims of domestic violence who are self-petitioning for legal permanent residency.  Created in 1996 under the guidance of faculty advisor, Prof. Anita Ramasastry, the organization has helped hundreds of victims to leave their abusers without the threat of deportation.  1Ls who have completed training are eligible to work on a real case under the supervision of an attorney.

IFAP works specifically with clients who are eligible to self-petition for a visa under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), or who are immigrant minors who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected.  See the Bureau of Citizen and Immigration Services’ FAQ on the Self-petitioning Process for more information.  1Ls who are interested in working on an IFAP case must attend a series of training sessions fall quarter.  After completing training, students will be paired in teams and assigned to work with a pro bono attorney and client.  During the self-petitioning process, students complete much of the legwork of the case including interviewing clients, drafting client declarations, requesting police records, retrieving records from foreign governments and collecting evidence.  Previous IFAP students have reported that the experience of working with a real client and receiving the mentorship of an attorney has been one of the most rewarding experiences of their 1L year.  For more information, see IFAP’s website at http://www.law.washington.edu/IFAP/ or email uwifap@yahoo.com.

Street Youth Legal Advocacy of Washington (SYLAW)

Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington is dedicated to addressing the legal needs of at-risk and homeless youth in Seattle. Working in conjunction with SYLAW, a new non-profit organization, SYLAW-UW volunteers will participate in training and orientation sessions conducted by local child advocacy attorneys. They will then educate street youth through scheduled presentations and, under the supervision of pro bono attorneys, will represent youth clients in civil legal matters.

Humanizing Legal Education website
http://www.law.fsu.edu/academic_programs/humanizing_lawschool/studentresources.php

Deborah Maranville, Infusing Passion and Context Into the Traditional Law Curriculum Through Experiental Learning, 51 J. Legal Educ. 51 (2001)