Mizzou Law reopens Child and Family Justice Clinic

The University of Missouri School of Law celebrated the grand re-opening of the newly reinstated Child and Family Justice Clinic in April.

The clinic is a new version of Mizzou Law’s Family Violence Clinic, which closed in 2020. 

The previous clinic opened in 1993 and was described as a safe haven for indigent victims of violence and a place where law students could gain practical experience essential to a successful career as an attorney.

The clinic reopening was made possible with $400,000 of funding from Missouri legislators, which was announced last July, and hopes to expand its reach to other counties in the area.

“I am so excited about this clinic,” said Dean Paul Litton, last July following the decision to re-open the clinic. “I love the fact that we can get students valuable, practical experience while helping vulnerable people in our communities. This is an invaluable experience for law students who not only receive the mentorship and support of their clinical professor, but also get to work on real-life cases and create meaningful change in clients’ lives.”

e The clinic will have 10 law school students chosen to practice at the clinic each semester. Students are allowed to advise clients, draft legal documents and appear in court, as they are Rule 13 certified.

The clinic provides free services, excluding court fees and costs. Domestic violence, juvenile justice and family permanency are the three main areas the clinic wants to help with. These categories cover anything from adoptions to restraining orders.

“Empowering and educating law students is a really big part of the goal because clinical experience is really important for students to learn how to actually practice the law,” said Danielle Dodd, clinic director, to the The Columbia Missourian.