The Rice School of Law’s clinical curriculum is widely regarded as a model program, combining rigorous experiential learning with a deep commitment to public service and access to justice. Taught by experienced, full-time faculty, the clinical program reflects the University of South Carolina’s longstanding dedication to client-centered legal education.
Through clinics students represent individuals and communities with critical legal needs. These client-contact courses provide students with the opportunity to develop practical lawyering skills while advancing justice for vulnerable and underserved populations.
Clinical instruction emphasizes close supervision, ethical practice, and skill development. Eight full-time faculty members devote a substantial portion of their teaching responsibilities to in-house clinical education, with much of the instruction occurring on a one-on-one basis. Faculty closely observe or review all student work and provide detailed, individualized feedback, designed to strengthen students’ advocacy, judgment, and professional skills.
Because this intensive, service-driven approach prioritizes both educational quality and client impact, student demand for clinical courses is high, and enrollment is intentionally limited to preserve the integrity of the learning experience and the level of service provided to clients.
Clinical Courses
LAWS 741 — 6 hours
The CHAMPS Clinic is a collaboration of the School of Law, the USC School of Medicine, Palmetto Health, Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group, and South Carolina Legal Services. It will provide students with the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary learning and community engagement in the context of live-client legal cases. More specifically, students will take legal cases on behalf of low income families referred from Palmetto Health and Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group. These cases will address the social-determinants of clients’ health. The law students will work collaboratively on these legal cases with doctors, social workers and other health professionals. In addition to case work, the course will have a seminar component during which students will learn the doctrine, theory, lawyering skills, and policy relevant to their case work. The seminar will also provide the students opportunities to lead discussions about case-related issues and solicit feedback from colleagues on those issues.
LAWS 757 — 6 hours
The clinic will afford participating students an opportunity to gain first-hand, closely supervised training and experience in the representation of real clients and the practice of the arts/skills of litigation planning, client counseling, fact development, negotiation and courtroom advocacy. The vehicle for such training and experience is the planning, preparation and presentation of the legal defense in actual cases involving allegations of criminal conduct. All casework will be done under the supervision of a clinical professor. In addition to the cases there will be assigned readings, lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. Criminal Practice Clinic places emphasis on jury trial practice before the Municipal Court for the City of Columbia.
LAWS 752 — 6 hours
This course will train students to assume the role of lawyer and introduce them to domestic violence law. Through classroom discussion, simulations, assigned readings, and fieldwork, the course will cover central concepts of laws governing emergency orders of protection and affirmative domestic violence-related immigration remedies, such as U Visas, VAWA Self-Petitions, and Battered Spouse Waivers, and give students an opportunity to apply their knowledge by representing clients seeking these forms of relief. Students will have an opportunity to develop legal skills, including: interviewing and counseling clients; fact investigation; legal research, writing and analysis; case strategy; negotiations; and courtroom advocacy, as well as professional and life skills related to legal practice. The course will also give students an opportunity to consider the broader context of their individual cases through class discussion and community-based projects, which may include know-your-rights presentations, limited advice and assistance clinics, and policy research.
LAWS 751 — 6 hours
The clinic helps special-needs children and their families get access to equal educational
opportunity, handling legal issues ranging from disability eligibility and entitlement
to services, to developing adequate Individualized Education Programs and discipline
matters. Law students will begin to develop a variety of legal skills including:
interviewing clients, fact investigation, legal research and analysis, case strategy,
negotiations, as well as participate in mediation and possibly litigation proceedings.
LAWS 656 — 6 hours
This course will introduce students to federal civil practice and allow them to gain hands-on federal practice experience in the context of federal litigation. In the clinical component of the course, students will represent individuals bringing claims before the District Court for the District of South Carolina. Depending on the procedural posture of cases during the semester, students will have the opportunity to draft and file a complaint, conduct and respond to discovery, brief and argue motions, participate in mediation, and/or participate in trial. Through classroom discussion, assigned readings, simulations, and client representation, the course will cover lawyering skills such as interviewing, counseling, factual investigation, claim analysis, and written and oral advocacy; procedural law relevant to students’ cases; and core legal concepts in cases brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (or other applicable statutes). All student work on cases will be completed under the supervision of a clinical professor and the applicable student practice rule.
LAWS 772 — 6 hours
The clinic will afford participating students an opportunity to gain first-hand, closely supervised training and experience in the representation of real clients and the practice of the arts/skills of litigation planning, client counseling, fact development, negotiating, and courtroom advocacy. The vehicle for such training and experience is the planning, preparation and presentation of the legal defense of juveniles in cases involving allegations of delinquent (i.e. criminal) conduct, including pre-trial issues, guilt or innocence, and disposition (i.e. sentencing) advocacy. All casework will be done under the supervision of a clinical professor.
LAWS 742 — 6 hours
Students gain hands-on experience representing low-income clients in all aspects of tax procedure and tax controversy practice, including the examination process, assessment and deficiencies, statutes of limitations, calculation of penalties and interest, Tax Court litigation, overpayments and refund litigation, penalty defenses, and other tax practice issues. The clinical component of the course will provide students the opportunity to represent low-income taxpayers in court and before the Internal Revenue Service in federal tax matters such as: IRS examinations (including Earned Income Tax Credit audits), federal tax liens and levies, collection alternatives such as compromise payment arrangements and currently-not-collectible status, and innocent spouse relief, including in the IRS appeals process, in collections due process hearings, and in litigation in the U.S. Tax Court and Federal District Courts and/or U.S. Courts of Appeal. Working on such matters will enable students to develop skills including client interviewing, factual investigations, written and oral advocacy, and negotiation.
LAWS 830 — 6 hours
This clinic offers services to any indigent veteran facing legal issues on credit and related financial matters, housing issues, government benefits, and family law issues. Students enrolled in the clinic will work to protect the rights of veterans and their families, while learning valuable skills including client interviewing, fact investigation, working with experts, and litigation. Learn more