Victoria Ronderos/ Contributing Writer
To those who cannot afford a lawyer, or any other legal charge, you need not look any further. Inside the University’s College of Law is the FIU Law Clinic Program, providing people with legal advice and representation at absolutely no cost.
Since its founding in 2004, the clinic has been run by both professors and law students. From immigration and human rights law to environmental law, the clinic provides an array of services to the public.
“When we started in 2004, we only had one clinic. So from 2004 to the present, we have expanded our clinics. Now, we have eight clinics, so we have found that there is a need in the community for the service that we are providing,” said Zoraya Ledesma, administrative assistant for the FIU College of Law Clinical Program.
“Our [Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic] has over 100 cases that we are actually working on, the [Family and Children’s Advocacy] Clinic has over 50 cases, …the [Immigrant Children’s Justice] Clinic has about the same amount, [and] we have a Community Development Clinic, [which] every semester we get about maybe 40,” said Ledesma.
The clinic also provides a hands-on experience for the students; it helps them apply their studies into real-life legal situations as their professors watch over their every move. It is not a requirement for the law school, however, it is under the College of Law’s curriculum.
“The only difference between [the Clinic] and the other courses taught at the Law School is the fact that we have an actual case component to the course. So we have our class, and as part of that class, we actually have cases that the law students work on,” said Ledesma.
Those seeking the clinic’s legal advice can either visit the offices or call in for advice. The front desk will then match the person seeking advice to a specific clinic. If the case falls under a certain clinic, the law students will come in and help. If not, they will refer the person to a different agency that can better help them.
Though the law students are still unlicensed, they can provide people with help because they are working under the supervision of professors, who are all licensed attorneys.
Since “the [students] work under the supervision of a licensed attorney,” said Ledesma, “under The Florida Bar rules, they can do what is called a Certified Legal Intern, in order to be able to represent the clients in court.”
The Law Clinic’s hours are Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday, they close at 5 p.m. Their number is 305-348-7541.
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