To learn more about the Clinical Curriculum and Registration, please visit our Clinical Registration Center. You can also find more information on How to Register for Clinics and How Clinical Credits Work.

For more information about this clinic, please visit the Clinic Website and OCP Blog Highlights.

Required Clinic Component: Education Law Clinic: Movement Lawyering (3-5 fall clinical credits). This clinic and course are bundled; your enrollment in the clinic will automatically enroll you in this required course.
Additional Co-/Pre-Requisites: None.
By Permission: No.
Add/Drop Deadline: Early drop of August 1, 2025.
LLM Students: LLM students may enroll in this clinic through Helios.

In this seminar students will learn the theory and practice the skills that will enable them to become effective movement lawyers for secondary school students. A key feature of the course and clinic will be working directly with secondary school students in Massachusetts who are advocating to improve their public school system. In addition to becoming acquainted with the theory and practice of movement lawyering generally, students in the seminar will also seek to adapt these theories to the particular context of working with young people, taking into account the unique developmental and ethical considerations this entails. The readings and activities in this seminar are designed to support and encourage reflection on the lawyering skills that students will develop and practice in their clinical work, which may include collaborating with youth leaders to: identify and research a problem, propose solutions and approaches, develop and draft a desired legal remedy, map power relationships between stakeholders in the education establishment, assess the political and legal landscape surrounding a desired remedy, build a vibrant and effective coalition, engage in oral presentations and negotiations, and analyze ethical issues that arise in legal advocacy. The goal is for students to learn the unique role lawyers can play to support a movement for youth voice in educational decision making.

There is no final examination for this seminar; students will prepare a presentation in which they lead a discussion with their colleagues based on an educational justice issue of their choosing. Class participation is part of the grade for this course.

Please note this course has a unique schedule. There will be two meetings of the course in each of the first two weeks of the semester in order to front load content so students are prepared to engage in advocacy. To compensate, there will be two weeks in the middle of the semester where there is no class meeting. The seminar will meet on the following days and times:

• Tue, Sep 2, 8:00-10:00 am
• Thu, Sep 4
• Tue, Sep 9, 8:00-10:00 am
• Thu, Sep 11
• Thu, Sep 18
• Thu, Sep 25
• Thu, Oct 2
• (Thu, Oct 9 – NO CLASS)
• (Thu, Oct 16 – NO CLASS)
• Thu, Oct 23
• Thu, Oct 30
• Thu, Nov 6
• Thu, Nov 13
• Thu, Nov 20