Clinical Programs
Clinics and Practice Training
In addition to offering a sound analytical and theoretical foundation to the study of law, the University of Maine School of Law gives students the opportunity to learn about the real-world practice of law. Trial Practice, Trial Advocacy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Negotiation, provide simulation courses in litigation and alternatives to litigation. In these courses, students learn and practice techniques used in negotiations, client counseling, mediation, settlement discussions, and every aspect of trial preparation and presentation.
Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic
The practice training described above, along with Evidence and Professional Responsibility, also provide students the background they need to participate, during their third year, in "live" clinical opportunities. The University of Maine School of Law provides clinical education and public service through the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, which represents low-income individuals living in Cumberland, York, Southern Androscoggin and Western Sagadahoc counties. At this time, the Clinical program includes four separate clinics: the General Practice Clinic, and the Prisoner Assistance Clinic, which are offered every semester, as well as the Criminal Defense Clinic and the Family Law Clinic, which are offered periodically.
The clinics provide third-year law students the opportunity to provide direct representation to low-income clients in need of legal assistance—in other words, to practice law. The "student attorneys" are specially licensed by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the United States District Court to practice under the supervision of a fully licensed faculty member. While Clinic faculty provides instruction and supervision, the students are—in every respect—the lawyers for the Clinic's clients. Students interview and counsel clients, develop case theory, conduct discovery, negotiate outcomes with opposing parties and counsel, prepare cases for court, and handle hearings, trials, and appeals. The majority of the Clinic's cases involve family law and domestic matters, but students may also work on state and federal cases involving criminal, consumer, housing, employment, and probate issues.
In the General Practice Clinic, a six-credit course, each student attorney is expected to maintain a caseload of eight or more cases. Students also participate in a classroom component, in which students and faculty discuss Clinic cases and explore issues involving ethics, poverty, client counseling, case theory, and other topics. All students also take part in the Clinic's Domestic Violence Project, funded through a grant from the United States Department of Justice, in which the Clinic represents victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in protection from abuse proceedings.
The Prisoner Assistance Clinic, an innovative program made possible through grants from the Maine Bar Foundation and the Maine Department of Corrections, is a three-credit course in which students assist prisoners in the State correctional system on a wide variety of civil matters. Students in this clinic meet each week with prisoners, usually at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham, and assist with matters involving family law, probate, guardianship, and other varied issues that often arise for individuals who are incarcerated. This clinic provides students with extensive opportunities to develop skills in client interviewing and counseling.
The Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, housed in a former residence next to the Law School, operates as a fully-functioning law firm. It is staffed by an Office Manager and an Administrative Assistant. The Clinic is equipped with a Windows NT Network, and desktop computers at each Student Attorney's workstation, a law library, a client conference room, a seminar room, and other necessary equipment for efficient office operation. The Clinic is comparable in facilities, if not opulence, to many small and medium-sized law firms. Each summer the Clinic generally hires four to five students who have completed their second year of law school to work as full-time interns. As a result, the Clinic is able to provide much-needed representation to individuals on a year-round basis.
Intellectual Property Law Clinic
Innovation drives our economy and lawyers experienced with leveraging intellectual property and technology assets are in high demand.
The Intellectual Property Law Clinic offers a rare opportunity to work with clients involved with developing new products and businesses. Under the supervision of intellectual property lawyers at the Center for Law & Innovation (Center), students work directly with independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and research scientists engaged in technology transfer. The Clinic is overseen by the Center, whose director is a law professor and intellectual property attorney. Also operating within the Center is the Maine Patent Program (Program), through which clinic clients seek services. The Program is itself directed by a patent attorney and technology transfer expert and employs an additional patent attorney and registered patent agent. Students enrolled in the Intellectual Property Law Clinic work under the supervision of the Center and Program directors as they assist the innovators of Maine.
The Center is located downtown and overlooks Portland's bustling waterfront. The Center and Program are staffed with a professional administrative manager and an administrative assistant. Each student is assigned a workstation and computer, and has full access to the Center's ample office facilities and resources.
A wide variety of projects exist for acquiring practical skills. Students typically review innovation disclosures for patentability and write opinion letters based on their results. They will frequently determine whether trademarks qualify for protection and are available for registration, and counsel clients on how to proceed. In the case of university clients, students may assist with drafting a patent application, registering a copyright, applying for a trademark, or working on a licensing agreement.
One need not have a science and technology background to benefit from this clinical opportunity. But for those students who have majored in engineering, biology, computer science, chemistry or related field, intellectual property law is an ideal avenue for their legal careers as it richly integrates science and law.
The 6-credit Intellectual Property Clinic is available to second-or third-year students who have completed at least an introductory course in intellectual property law. Completion of or enrollment in Patent Law is highly recommended. The Clinic is offered both fall and spring semesters and during summer session.
Environmental Law Clinic
The Environmental Law Clinic pairs students with government agencies, environmental advocacy groups, or private firms with environmental practices, to assist with current problems in environmental, marine, and natural resources issues, under faculty supervision.
Planning Courses
Students whose interests lean more towards counseling clients in business or probate matters will also find the opportunity to develop practical skills in these areas. Upper-level courses in Business Planning and Estate Planning offer seminars in advanced problems and ways in which well-trained lawyers can frame solutions.
