Each student in the General Practice Clinic maintains a caseload and represents several low-income individuals in various areas of the law.
Student attorneys interview and counsel clients, develop case theories, conduct discovery, negotiate with opposing parties, prepare cases for court, and conduct hearings, trials and appeals. Students regularly brief and argue cases before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and participate in hundreds of matters before Maine’s federal, state and probate courts, and administrative agencies.
Student attorneys take on a wide range of case types in the General Practice Clinic, from criminal defense to family law to consumer law. For criminal cases, students might represent clients charged with crimes such as drug trafficking, assault, or theft. Within the realm of family law, students help solve disputes involving parental rights and responsibilities, divorce, guardianship, protective custody, and other matters. For civil matters, students have the opportunity to represent consumers, victims of financial exploitation, or a family trying to keep their home. The legal issues are very real, and they are life-changing for the clients and also for the graduates of our program.