LAWS8978 · Law

Civil Litigation Clinic: Child Health and Education

Boston College Law School

The Child Health and Education Clinic (CHEC) is a medical-legal partnership that brings together student attorneys and community providers to address a variety of health-harming legal needs that impact children and families in the Boston area. Students participate in every aspect of the client's case, from developing the facts and theory of the case, to case planning and client counseling, to written and oral advocacy. Some of the clinic's cases are directly connected to childhood health while others address legal barriers that negatively impact child and family well-being. Advocacy may occur in a variety of legal areas including education (such as advocacy to secure appropriate special education services), public benefits (such as appealing a denial of essential benefits), or housing (such as advocacy to remediate poor housing conditions resulting in asthma or lead poisoning). Through interdisciplinary casework, close supervision, and weekly seminars students learn to engage in culturally humble client advocacy, reflecting on the structures and systems that intersect each case and developing a variety of advocacy skills while providing critical representation in an area of substantial community need.