Defense and Advocacy Clinic
What We Do
In this in-house, one-semester litigation and advocacy clinic, students represent clients charged with misdemeanor offenses in Queens Criminal Court, advocate for clients held in punitive segregation at Rikers Island, and navigate policy issues related to mass incarceration, mass criminalization, and public defense.
The Defense and Advocacy Clinic is an immersive in-house, one-semester litigation and advocacy clinic. Students represent clients charged with misdemeanor offenses in Queens Criminal Court, advocate for clients held in punitive segregation at Rikers Island, and navigate policy issues to related to mass incarceration, mass criminalization, and public defense.
Students take full responsibility for their clients’ cases and develop essential lawyering skills during the course of the clinic including:
- Interviewing clients
- Making bail applications
- Conducting investigations
- Litigating discovery
- Drafting motions
- Negotiating with prosecutors
- Researching immigration and other direct consequences
- Mitigation advocacy
- Appearing before judges
- Counseling clients
As students gain practical experience, they learn to navigate New York's criminal system and advocate for clients who are disenfranchised. They also attend a weekly seminar, where they simulate skills with full-time practitioners, explore New York State’s criminal legal reform movements, and consider policy solutions to systemic issues they encounter in the field, as well as recurring challenges in public defense.