Domestic Violence Clinic & Women's Prison Project
Practice Legal Skills Through a Human Rights Lens
The Domestic Violence Clinic is a trial practice clinic that addresses gender-based violence across multiple legal settings. Students in the Domestic Violence Clinic train with a team of expert faculty as they represent survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in trial and appellate courts. Through the Safe Homes Civil Law Project, the Domestic Violence Appeals Project, and the Women’s Prison Project for incarcerated survivors, DV Clinic students:
- litigate contested trials in civil district court
- write and argue appeals in Louisiana’s appellate courts
- through the Clinic's innovative Women's Prison Project, represent survivors of intimate partner violence, trafficking, and abuse charged with or convicted of crimes related to the abuse they experienced, and
- explore implications of law and policy on survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking
Student InvolvementStudents in the Domestic Violence Clinic are in and out of the courtroom throughout the year, representing survivors through a combination of emergency hearings, contested trials, pre-trial motions, and oral arguments. Under the intensive supervision of three full-time faculty with national and international expertise, students serve as “first chair” in their cases, handling all aspects of clients’ legal proceedings. To prepare for their trials, student attorneys conduct trauma-informed interviewing, draft pleadings and discovery requests, and conduct and defend depositions.
In this fast-paced legal setting, students learn the skills necessary to become excellent lawyers, no matter what field they enter after graduation.
In addition to learning these essential lawyering skills, Clinic students must also unpack the complex problems individual survivors of abuse face. Students provide “holistic” representation to the Clinic’s clients, which means that they might assist a single client with issues as varied as protective orders, child custody, support, divorce, criminal justice advocacy, consumer law issues, public benefits, immigration, or housing.
This approach to client representation means that the Clinic’s students explore intersections between domestic violence and other social problems, such as unaffordable housing, mass incarceration, community violence, childhood trauma, and gender inequity.
Enrollment in the Domestic Violence Clinic requires prior or concurrent coursework that equips students with the foundational legal knowledge and courtroom skills necessary for effective client representation.
Legal Profession (3 credits)
This course provides an introduction to the ethical responsibilities of lawyers, the structure of the legal profession, and the role of attorneys in society. Students develop an understanding of professional conduct rules and the fundamental dilemmas faced by practitioners—knowledge essential for navigating the ethical dimensions of client counseling and advocacy in the clinic.Evidence (3 credits)
Evidence focuses on the rules and policies governing the proof of facts in judicial proceedings, with emphasis on the Federal Rules of Evidence. Students study relevance, reliability, and the major evidentiary doctrines that shape litigation practice. Mastery of evidence is critical to the clinic’s courtroom and motion-practice components.Trial Advocacy
While not required, Trial Advocacy is strongly recommended for students who wish to deepen their litigation skills. This course provides intensive, practice-based training in trial techniques, including opening statements, witness examination, impeachment, exhibits, expert testimony, and closing arguments. Students receive individualized feedback from experienced trial lawyers and judges, culminating in a full jury trial exercise.
