UC Davis School of Law is set to launch the state’s only law school clinic focused on litigating cases before the California Supreme Court.
The California Supreme Court Clinic, which will begin operating this fall, will give students the invaluable opportunity to work on actual cases pending before the state’s highest court.
Under the supervision of clinic director Aimee Feinberg, students will research and write draft briefs on behalf of clinic clients.
Students enrolled in the clinic will explore California Supreme Court practice and procedure, study principles of effective appellate advocacy, and meet with seasoned appellate practitioners from different areas of legal practice as the clinic provides pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations in cases pending before the Court.
“UC Davis School of Law’s cutting edge clinical programs are among the oldest, and best, in the entire United States,” said Dean Kevin R. Johnson. “The Civil Rights Clinic, Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic, Immigration Law Clinic, and Prison Law Clinic have helped countless individuals for many years and provided students with invaluable experience representing real clients in real cases.”
The Dean added, “We are happy to expand the clinical programs available to our students with the new California Supreme Court Clinic. In that clinic, students will have the chance to help prepare briefs in cases before the state’s highest court for many years to come.”
The creation of the clinic is part of UC Davis School of Law’s deepening relationship with the Court, which will hold arguments in the law school building, King Hall, on October 3, 2012. California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is a member of UC Davis School of Law’s Class of 1984.
The director of the new clinic, Aimee Feinberg, is a graduate of Stanford Law School. Before joining UC Davis, Feinberg worked as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson in San Francisco, where her practice focused on appellate and other litigation matters.
Before entering private practice, she served as a law clerk to Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court and to Judge David S. Tatel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
“The California Supreme Court Clinic will teach students to write first-rate appellate briefs in a real-world setting,” said Feinberg. “I am thrilled to be launching this unique new program at King Hall.”
Already, six students are enrolled in the clinic for the fall semester. Clinic work will be writing-intensive, but students will also attend a series of seminars beginning in August.
