Community Law Center Clinic

Believing that clinics help students learn the practice of law and the value of public service, Loyola established its first clinic, the Community Law Center Clinic, at the beginning of the 1980s. Loyola understands that placing students in a law office-setting with real clients creates a synergy between teaching essential skills and providing needed service, consistent with the Jesuit principle of making a difference as persons for others.

Who We Serve

The Community Law Center Clinic serves clients whose main source of income is public assistance or Supplemental Security Income as well as those classified as the "working poor," who are people struggling to meet their obligations even though they have jobs.

How We Help

Cases handled by the clinic focus on family issues, landlord-tenant conflicts and benefit questions. A typical case might involve conflicting claims for Social Security or grandparents seeking custody of their grandchildren.

Since its founding, the clinic has represented more than 3000 individuals while providing students with the opportunity to serve real clients with real problems. 

What You Will Learn

Students in the clinic handle all facets of representing clients from the initial interview through courtroom appearances, if necessary. Clinical faculty ensure the clients are well served and that students are gaining confidence in their own abilities. Students handle two to three cases a semester.

The Community Law Center Clinic helps students with an interest in public service see what public service law is all about. The clinic is designed to allow students to handle cases that can be completed in one semester so they gain a sense of accomplishment and closure. Most students handle two clients in a semester while a few can handle three cases.

Veterans Practicum

A collaboration between the Loyola Community Law Center and the School of Social Work, the Veterans Practicum aims to bridge the gap in current services through a cross-disciplinary effort designed to better address local veterans’ social and legal needs. The Clinic provides veterans, active service members, and their families, with general legal representation in a wide variety of civil litigation and is a member of the Illinois Armed Forced Legal Aid Network as well as access to a social worker for case management support. Learn More