During the pre-registration process, the Director of the Clinical Program will do her best to match each student with his or her preferred choices. To withdraw from a Clinic, students should notify the Registrar's Office. Note the special withdrawal deadlines in the Clinic course descriptions. The students' work includes the drafting of pleadings, fact investigation, some limited discovery, client interviewing and counseling, the identification and interviewing of witnesses, and the identification and subpoenaing of documents. Students calculate child support using the Missouri child support guidelines, prepare parenting plans pursuant to the 1998 statutory amendments, prepare proposed orders, plan direct examination and cross examination, and negotiate settlements or conduct trials in the Family courts of the City of St. Louis and County of St. Louis Circuits.
Students work under faculty supervision and assume direct responsibility for the cases.
The Clinic also functions as Guardian ad Litem in cases assigned by the City Court including contested custody cases, child order of protection cases, and adult order of protection cases in which children are at risk. Students prepare thorough reports to the court, including factual findings, legal conclusions, and recommendations with respect to the issuance of protective orders and decisions regarding custody of children. The Clinic also handles parole hearings and clemency petitions for women who have killed their batterers. In addition, the Clinic functions as amicus on briefs to the Missouri Appellate Courts on issues of national interest. Students certified to practice under Rule 13 appear in court under the supervision of a licensed attorney and act as primary counsel in these cases.