493.01 Wrongful Convictions Clinic
The Wrongful Convictions Clinic pursues plausible claims of legal and factual innocence made by incarcerated people in North Carolina convicted of serious felonies.
Students in the clinic study the causes of wrongful convictions, including mistaken eyewitness identification, false confessions, faulty forensic evidence, “jailhouse snitches,” and race. Student-attorneys work under the supervision of faculty to develop, manage, and litigate cases by carrying out a wide range of legal activities, including communicating with our clients, locating and interviewing witnesses about facts, gathering documents and records, drafting a range of legal documents and memos, working with experts, and helping to prepare for evidentiary hearings and oral arguments in state and federal courts. Most clinic cases do not involve DNA.
Many former students describe their time in the clinic, working to exonerate individuals incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit, as their most rewarding experience during law school.
Enrollment Pre-/Co- Requisite Information
Any ethics course (Law 231, Law 237, Law 238, Law 239, Law 317, or Law 539)
Fall 2022
| Course Number | Course Credits | Evaluation Method | Instructor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 493.01 |
Course Credits
|
Practical exercises
In-class exercise
Live-client representation and case management
Class participation
|
James E. Coleman, Jr., Jamie T. Lau | ||
| Sakai site: https://sakai.duke.edu/portal/site/LAW-493-01-F22 | |||||
| Email list: LAW-493-01-F22@sakai.duke.edu | |||||
| Course |
Course
|
| Degree Requirements |
Course Requirements - JD
Course Requirements - LLM
Course Requirements - Public Interest
|
| Course Areas of Practice |