Clinical Intership Seminar: Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC)

Description:

Limit 3 - 5 students

Second and third-year law students interested in the legal needs of private individuals and businesses in the environmental and natural resources fields can gain practical skills through work with the Western Resources Legal Center (WRLC), a Portland-based non-profit organization. Under the supervision of WRLC's director/staff attorney, students will interview and counsel

clients, conduct fact investigations, problem solve, draft documents, negotiate agreements, and represent clients at administrative hearings, trials and appeals. WRLC represents individuals and small businesses engaged in farming, ranching, forestry, dairy production, mining, and land developments as well as small, local governments, water and irrigation districts and other entities dependent on natural resource use and development. Areas of student work may include: water quality, grazing, wildlife, forestry, land use and zoning, transactions related to natural resource use, mining and property rights issues. Students will also gain expsoure to local pracitioners and industry leaders and operators.

Law students will be supervised in their work by the full-time WRLC director, an attorney. No prior experience is required and both second and third year students are encouraged to participate. Class size will initially be limited to 3-5 students.

The Clinical Internship Seminar WRLC, is a 3-credit, Credit/No Credit course with no final examination. Students are required to complete a writing requirement, such as work on a brief, or a memo to a client. In most cases, the writing requirement can fulfill the WIE writing requirement. To successfully earn academic credit, students are expected to spend approximately 9-10 hours per week working on WRLC matters to the satisfaction of the supervising attorney. In addition, students are required to attend and participate in a weekly two-hour class that will cover general lawyering skills, overview of relevant substantive law, and discussion of cases in progress.

A student must have permission to register for this course. To do so, submit a letter of interest, an unofficial transcript and writing sample to Executive Director, Caroline Lobdell either by email to clobdell@wrlegal.org in hard copy form to 1500 SW First Ave, Suite 765, Portland, OR 97201. The deadline for receipt is June 10 of each year. Please include your name, contact information, year in law school, and reasons for your interest in working with WRLC. Your application must indicate which semester you are applying for, or if you are open to placement either semester. If there is more student demand than the CIS can accommodate, preference will be based on interest and year in school. The Registrar will notify all those who sign up for CIS: WRLC of their status if the class is oversubscribed.

Meets the B writing requirement or the WIE writing requirement.