Consumer Law Clinic
In conjunction with the Public Law Center, the Consumer Law Clinic is a community clinic that will explore the rights and responsibilities of consumers and the legal remedies available to them, some of the various consumer protection laws and the regulatory framework that guides implementation of the laws, and most importantly, direct experience in applying this knowledge to real-world scenarios by allowing students to represent clients directly as the primary legal representative, with supervision by clinic faculty. Cases will be submitted to the clinic by the Public Law Center, a pro bono law firm in Santa Ana that provides legal representation for low-income residents of Orange County. The topics of the course and clinic will vary based on the type of cases that are presented by the clinic clients. As advocates, students will perform various types of legal work, which could include interviewing clients; issue spotting; legal research; assessing client’s legal options; drafting complaints with regulatory agencies and/or state court; strategizing about the case/matter and “course-correcting” as the matter progresses; counseling clients; drafting responses; drafting motions; etc. If the cases/matters include court appearances, students will be part of the legal team and will attend and participate in court hearings where appropriate.