Law Schedule of Classes

NOTE: Course offerings change. Classes offered this semester may not be offered in future semesters.


295.5T sec. 001 - Samuelson Clinic (Fall 2024)

Instructor: Catherine Crump  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
Instructor: Erik R Stallman  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
Instructor: Jennifer M Urban  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only

Units: 4
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person

Course Start: August 19, 2024
Course End: December 05, 2024

Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 21
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 22
As of: 10/15 11:57 PM


The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic provides students with real-world experience and an opportunity to help develop sound public policy rules at the increasingly complex intersection of law and technology. In the Clinic, which operates much like a practice group in a law firm or legal services organization, students learn about both the theory and the practice of lawyering, the intricacies of government institutions and the policy-making process, and how to work with complex technological concepts, even when one has little or no background on the topic.

Although the Clinic’s docket varies per semester, typical clinic projects include providing in-depth legal research to support client litigation, researching and drafting advocacy materials used by clients to further public policy goals, filing friend-of-the-court briefs, filing rulemaking petitions to federal administrative agencies, writing pamphlets on specialized legal topics for general audiences, commenting on proposed legislation and regulations, and providing legal counseling in matters that raise important issues relating to law and technology. The Clinic represents public interests in a wide variety of subject matter areas, including privacy, free speech, criminal justice reform and public defense, intellectual property, consumer protection, and communications regulation.

Because this course allows students to practice law with real clients under the supervision of clinical faculty, its workload is structured differently than most classes. Students are expected to work on their projects every week for an average of 16 hours per week. Please note that this is an average. Due to the real-world nature of the projects, some weeks may require more time, in some cases significantly more time. As with all real-world legal jobs, clinic projects can be unpredictable from day to day and week to week; they require flexibility, so please plan for this. First-time Clinic students are required to register for the companion Samuelson Clinic Seminar, which is a separate two-unit course.

In recognition of the responsibility real-world legal work entails, students are also expected to make the Clinic their main priority for the semester. Additionally, Clinic students work on ongoing and active legal matters and are entrusted with clients’ confidential and privileged information. Accordingly, students taking the Clinic are typically not permitted to do outside legal work like an internship with a judge, law firm, or a legal services organization while working on Clinic matters. Non-legal work may be permitted on a case-by-case basis; you must discuss any plans for non-legal work with an instructor in advance.

To apply to the Samuelson Clinic, complete the Berkeley Law Clinical Program application, available at https://www.law.berkeley.edu/php-programs/forms/clinics/clinical_application.php. Be sure to provide complete answers to all questions.


Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.


Requirements Satisfaction:

Work in the clinic may satisfy Option 2 of the J.D. writing requirement with instructor approval. In order to satisfy Option 2, clinic students must complete a paper or series of written work that comprises 30 or more pages. Students who wish to satisfy the writing requirement must get instructor approval and submit their draft for comment and revision.

Option 2 form needed:
https://www.law.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Writing_Requirement_2017.pdf

This class may satisfy either the writing requirement or the experiential requirement but not both.

Student Services is available to answer questions.


Submit teaching evaluations for this course between 18-NOV-24 and 02-DEC-24

Exam Notes: (None) Class requires a series of papers, assignments, or presentations throughout the semester
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Clinics
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Intellectual Property and Technology Law
Social Justice and Public Interest

If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.

Readers:
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Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.

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