These poor people's organizations empower their members on issues of housing, work and welfare. Organizational goals are pursued through community education, individual and group advocacy. Clinic students are assigned to represent organizations, their members and individual clients who seek assistance. In addition to community education, students appear before administrative, legislative and judicial decisionmakers on behalf of their clients. Students focus on particular substantive legal areas such as employment, housing and welfare, and learn to make that knowledge available to community organizations.
Students also learn how to write winning administrative appeals.
In addition, the clinic presents a survey of the constitutional law relating to the sentencing process and the rights of prisoners while incarcerated and on parole. Students gain experience in drafting legislation and enacting local initiatives, counseling members of the tobacco control community and assisting in complex litigation. Specific assignments may include drafting legislation and ballot initiatives, participating in local health board meetings, advising state and local officials on administrative law matters, drafting documents for toxic tort litigation and writing about tobacco control legal issues for a lay audience.