Students enrolled in Criminal Practice Clinic represent adults charged with criminal offenses and children charged with criminal offenses and delinquency.
The Stanton Foundation First Amendment Clinic will introduce students to civil litigation implicating First Amendment rights of persons and organizations otherwise unable to afford counsel for those matters. Casework will focus on free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly. Through, and in preparation for, the representation of their clients, students will learn the foundational principles of current First Amendment doctrine, including prior restraint, time/place/manner restrictions, content and viewpoint discrimination, and the intersection of the rights protected by the Amendment. New in 2019, this clinic is made possible by a grant from the Stanton Foundation.
Students in the Housing Law Clinic will represent low-income tenants and homeowners from across the state of Tennessee in a wide variety of matters that directly impact their housing. Students will defend clients in eviction and foreclosure actions, represent them in Fair Housing claims, work with local housing authorities to protect their federally subsidized housing benefits, and negotiate settlements with private landlords. Students will also work directly with governmental and nonprofit agencies to create educational materials for tenants and homeowners and to effect state-level policy change affecting this vulnerable population.
Students in the Immigration Practice Clinic represent vulnerable low-income immigrants from all over the world before the immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and federal courts in humanitarian immigration cases.
Students enrolled in Intellectual Property and the Arts Clinic represent individuals, businesses, organizations, groups, and associations in matters in various intellectual property fields, including copyright, trademark, publicity rights, and trade secrets. The Clinic also offers community education programs on intellectual property and arts-related topics.
Students enrolled in International Law Practice Lab will learn specific lawyering skills such as treaty negotiation, research relating to international law and the intersections of international and domestic law.
The Turner Family Community Enterprise Clinic allows students to represent small businesses and nonprofit organizations in a range of transactional matters, including entity formation, governance, tax, contracts, employment, intellectual property, and risk management. Projects may include creating a new business, drafting a lease or other agreement, or applying for tax-exempt status.
Students enrolled in the Youth Opportunity Clinic represent young people (aged 16-25) who are at risk for criminal legal involvement by providing civil legal representation that will help them access opportunities in the areas of education, secure housing, and employment. Clinic students will learn about the school-to-prison pipeline and the collateral effects of the criminalization of youth through representing clients in proceedings such as school disciplinary hearings, housing evictions, and record sealing and expungement.
