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Civil Practice Clinic

The Civil Practice/Elderly Clinic is open to any student who has completed the first year of legal studies and is in good academic standing. See the School of Law Rules relating to Clinics and Field Placements document for more details about enrollment in clinical courses.

Those students who wish to utilize an Illinois Student Practice License (711 License) must have completed 45 hours of law credit and be in good academic standing. Having a 711 License allows students to represent clients and appear in court under the supervision of a licensed attorney. Students who have not completed the requirements for obtaining a 711 License may still enroll in the course, but the work they can perform is more limited.

Students who enroll in the Civil Practice/Elderly Clinic work with an experienced clinic attorney to help provide civil legal services to senior citizens from a 13-county area in Southern Illinois. Each student is assigned to a supervising attorney and is responsible for several cases.

Course Instructor:

Clinical Professor Dale Aschemann

 

Legal Skills

Students represent clients from the intake interview through the completion of their case, whenever possible. Students improve or enhance the following legal skills through this clinical experience:

  • Factual Investigation
  • Client Interviewing and Counseling
  • Legal Research and Writing
  • Developing and Implementing Legal Theories
  • Drafting and Reviewing Legal Documents
  • Filing Papers and Working with the Circuit Clerks
  • Representing Clients in Court
  • Negotiating with Opposing Counsel
  • Working with Other Attorneys and Staff in a Law Office Setting
  • File Management and Case Management

In addition to representing clients, students have regular class meetings to learn the substantive legal areas most commonly encountered in working with older clients. These areas include:

  • Drafting Simple Wills
  • Drafting Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property
  • Representing Clients in Guardianship Proceedings

A variety of other civil legal areas are also covered, such as:

  • Grandparent visitation
  • Consumer fraud
  • Elder abuse and neglect
  • Nursing home rights violations
  • Creditor problems
  • Contract problems