Civil Justice Clinic
The Civil Justice Clinic represents a unique partnership between Duke Law and Legal Aid of North Carolina in which students work on cases relating to housing, benefits, and protection from domestic violence, among others.
Working under the supervision of clinic faculty and staff attorneys of Legal Aid of North Carolina, students directly represent clients in matters that include actions arising from unsafe housing, landlord-tenant disputes, evictions, foreclosures, rent-to-purchase agreements, breach of contract, consumer protection issues, incidents of domestic violence, and the North Carolina Health Care Personnel Registry. They develop practical litigation skills that are transferable to a wide range of cases and practice areas, while addressing the critical lack of legal representation among low-income North Carolinians; appear as primary counsel before state superior, district, and small-claims courts, as well as administrative agencies; and work on small teams with attorneys and peers on other cases. During a weekly seminar at the Law School, students learn techniques, strategies, and substantive law relevant to their caseloads.
Working with the Civil Justice Clinic has been the most formative experience of my law school career.
When the federal COVID-19 eviction moratorium ended in summer 2021, Duke Law's Civil Justice Clinic stepped in to assist with a surge in rental assistance applications in Durham. The pop-up Eviction Advice Clinic in the Durham County Courthouse was staffed and managed by students and supervised by Clinical Professors Charles Holton and Jesse McCoy and operated throughout the 2021-22 academic year.
