Nina W. Tarr
Clinical Professor
The Employee Justice Clinic is a one-semester, elective course for second-year and third-year law students. The enrollment is limited and the students work closely with Professor Tarr to learn about practicing law, to provide service to clients, and to engage in research. As with the other Clinics, the students engage in experiential learning and participate in a seminar component.
Law students in the Employee Justice Clinic provide education, advice, advocacy, litigation, and mediation services for low-income individuals and groups who have cases involving employment. Clinic students address issues that low-income wage earners face while on the job, in seeking work, or if their employment has been terminated - such as wage and hour claims, Family and Medical Leave Act cases, privacy rights violations, protection for victims of domestic violence at the workplace claims, unemployment appeals, wrongful discharge cases, and benefits cases.
Law students may find themselves translating legal rights and remedies into accessible language for oral and written presentation to clients. They advise clients as to their rights and remedies, advocating to employers for implementation of existing workplace laws, preparing and trying cases before administrative agencies and/or state and federal courts, and mediating employee disputes. Consequently, students develop skills in research, writing, oral communication, interviewing, negotiation, case management, fact investigation, trial advocacy and mediation.
This Clinic places a heavy emphasis on professionalism, and students continually examine what role they can or should play as lawyers in resolving their clients' situations. The teaching method relies heavily on reflection and self-evaluation. As an interdisciplinary Clinic, law students also collaborate with faculty and students from other professions to take a holistic approach to solving clients' problems. A subtext of the course is questioning the underlying assumptions, theories, and policies that the law brings to employment situations.
This Clinic may serve as a research laboratory to produce data to better identify and analyze low-income wage earners' problems and successes. As participant observers, the law students can learn about various social science research methodologies and may conduct their own projects.
