Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment

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3 - 5 Credit Hours

Overseeing Professor:
Jaclyn Lopez, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Jacobs Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment
[email protected]     

Program Description:
Recognizing that the health of our environment and of our communities are inextricably linked, and entirely dependent on a functioning and just democracy, the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment pursues and defends justice through advocacy focused on our most pressing environmental issues. It is centered on the mutually reinforcing and independently important principles of freedom to participate in and influence decision-making and the ability to seek relief from harm. The Jacobs Law Clinic provides a much-needed public service of pro bono legal aid while affording Stetson’s law students opportunities to represent underserved clients with hands-on case management and the development of the advocacy skills necessary to be successful attorneys.

This clinic teaches the art of law practice through client representation on environmental and democracy matters. Students will learn how to find and use the sources of law relevant to their clients’ matters, including statutes, regulations, guidance and policy. Students will take on the various roles representing actual clients, including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, rule-making, presenting and oral advocacy, and drafting legal documents. 

The Jacobs Law Clinic is approved for experiential credit and is an approved elective in the advocacy, environmental law, and social justice advocacy concentrations. Successful course completion earns students 30 legal pro bono hours toward graduation requirements.

Placement Locations:

Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport Campus

Program Requirements:

  • At least 42.5 hours of contemporaneously recorded time per credit earned
  • Weekly classroom component which meets Mondays 3:00 - 5 p.m. on the Gulfport campus;

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Successful completion of all first-year required courses;
  • Be in good academic standing;
  • Pre or co-requisites: 1) Professional Responsibility; and 2) Environmental Law or Administrative Law

Application Requirements:
Submit a completed application by the appropriate deadline (for more information, visit our Clinics and Externships page).

**If you are a seeking monetary assistance for this clinic, please see the Jacobs Law Clinic Fund web page for information.