Clinics

History of Detroit Mercy Law Clinics

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  Founding

  

  With a progressive vision and a federal grant from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society legislation, Detroit Mercy Law launched what would become a groundbreaking chapter in legal education—the Urban Law Clinic. The doors opened on November 24, 1965, in the heart of downtown Detroit at 531 East Larned Street, steps away from where traditional legal classes were held at Dowling Hall. Inside, law faculty and students were doing something unprecedented: Together, they represented clients from underserved communities in Detroit—people who would otherwise lack access to legal services.  

  In 1967, as unrest swept through Detroit, student clinicians from the Urban Law clinic represented hundreds of individuals arrested in the mass street sweeps for curfew violations during the riots. Students interviewed nearly 1,000 detainees and played a key role in securing the dismissal of more than 500 riot related cases.

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  Serving beyond our doors

  Mobile Law Clinic 
  In 2004, the clinic program hit the streets—literally—with the launch of the innovative Mobil Law Office, a custom-designed vehicle that delivered free legal services directly to Detroit Neighborhoods. By 2009, with a fleet of three mobile unites, Detroit Mercy Law brought justice to the doorsteps of those who needed it most, making a lasting impact on both students and the community at a time when the clinic operated with limited space within the neighboring church.

   

   

   Traveling Expungement Clinics 
  In the summer of 2019, the clinic program’s legacy of taking services to the community continued. With a grant from the Michigan State Bar Foundation, Detroit Mercy Law launched a graveling expungement clinic. Students and faculty traveled to rural communities in Michigan to help raise awareness and determine expungement eligibility for those lacking access to information and services.  

  Since the first traveling clinic, over 500 individuals have received assistance across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, including tribal communities. Students and faculty continue to provide individuals with criminal records the opportunity to clear eligible convictions—a vital step toward gaining employment, housing, and educational opportunities. 

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  A permanent home: The George J. Asher Law Clinic Center

  In 2012, the clinic program found a permanent home in the George J. Asher Law Clinic Center, housed in a historic firehouse, steps away from Dowling Hall. The building was renovated to house the clinic’s operations, thanks to generous donations from alumni and community supporters. 

   

   

   

  This dedicated space at the Riverfront Campus provides students, faculty, and clients with a central, accessible location—close to nearby courthouses and highly visible within the community.  

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  Clinics Today

  At Detroit Mercy Law, every student is guaranteed the opportunity to represent real clients before graduation. While many law schools offer limited or competitive clinical experiences, Detroit Mercy Law provides universal access and requires clinic participation as part of the program of legal education for all students.  

  The clinic guarantee dates back to 2008, when the faculty voted it to be a requirement for the US JD program—well before the American Bar Association mandated experiential training credits in 2014. In response to the ABA standards, employer feedback, and growing student demand for hands-on learning, the clinic requirement was expanded to include the Dual JD program in 2014.  

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  Recognition and Impact

  Since its inception, the Detroit Mercy Law clinic program has garnered national recognition for its dedication to public service and legal education.

  Recognition and Impact

  Year	Award
  1969	AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION BILL OF RIGHTS AWARD For outstanding contributions in the field of law and justice
  2006	JUDY M. WEIGHTMAN MEMORIAL PUBLIC INTEREST AWARD Presented by the American Bar Association Law Student Division
  2011	NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE PROJECT AWARD Presented by the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
  2012	LOUIS M. BROWN AWARD FOR LEGAL ACCESS Presented by the American Bar Association
  2014	TOP 20 IN THE NATION Presented by the National Jurist magazine
  2016	MICHIGAN CHILD WELFARE ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR Presented to Bill Ladd (retired) for his work directing the Juvenile Law Appellate Clinic
  2019	KIMBERLY M. CAHILL BAR LEADERSHIP AWARD Presented by the State Bar of Michigan for the Traveling Expungement Clinic
  2020	ILENE AND MICHAEL SHAW PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD Presented by the Federal Bar Association to the Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Clinic
  2021	FEDERAL BAR ASSOCIATION EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN ANNUAL AWARD Presented to the Federal Pro Se Clinic
  2025	WADE MCCREE AWARD Presented to Barb Patek, Director of the Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Clinic
  2025	STATE BAR OF MICHIGAN ROBERTS P. HUDSON AWARD Presented to Valerie Newman, Director of the Conviction Integrity Clinic

Clinics for Upper-Level Students

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  Appellate Advocacy Clinic, State Appellate Defenders Office (SADO)

  Students gain exposure to appellate practice and postconviction and sentencing advocacy while working alongside attorneys within the Juvenile Lifer Unit of the State Appellate Defender Office.

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  Arts & Entertainment Law Clinic

  Students provide pro bono legal services to artists, including musicians, filmmakers, and photographers, to protect intellectual property and creative rights.

  Arts & Entertainment Law Clinic Client Application

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  Conviction Integrity Clinic

  Students engage in criminal justice reform and review wrongful conviction claims in collaboration with the Wayne County and Oakland County Prosecutors' Offices.

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  Criminal Trial Clinic

  Students gain exposure to criminal defense and represent misdemeanor defendants in district courts.

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  Environmental Law Clinic

  Students engage in environmental justice advocacy by working on cases and policy issues alongside attorneys from the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.

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  Family Law Clinic

  Students represent clients with domestic relations matters before the Wayne County Circuit Court.

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  Federal Pro Se Legal Assistance Clinic

  Students provide guidance on procedural matters and case strategy to individuals representing themselves in federal court.

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  Immigration Law Clinic

  Students represent immigrants before the United States Immigration Court and the United States Department of Homeland Security.

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  International Patent Law Clinic

  Students represent inventors seeking patents and assist with patent applications to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

  International Intellectual Property Law Clinic Client Application

  Competition Information

  The annual National Patent Drafting Competition, organized by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and held at the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional USTPO, takes place at the beginning of each year and offers student teams the opportunity to present their patent applications in front of a panel of judges comprised of patent examiners, practitioners and several high profile guest judges.  Stay tuned for our next competition. Registration information will be made available in early September. 

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  Juvenile Appellate Clinic

  Students represent children in cases appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals from trial court proceedings in Wayne County Juvenile Court involving child protective proceedings, with some exposure to juvenile delinquency.

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  Trademark and Entrepreneur Clinic

  Students assist entrepreneurs with filing trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and advise on legal issues involved in business startups.

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  Unemployment and Workers' Rights Clinic

  Students represent clients who have been denied unemployment benefits.
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  Veterans Law Clinic

  Students represent military veterans, their families, and survivors seeking benefits for service-connected disabilities and discharge upgrades before the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

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  Crime Stoppers Clinic

  First-year students have had the opportunity to work with Crime Stoppers, a non-profit agency that assists the public in solving crimes through various tools and seeks to empower people to anonymously report crime. Students supported the Crime Stoppers team by reviewing cold case files and strategizing further steps in criminal investigations.

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  Driver's License Restoration Clinic

  Students assist veterans with finding outstanding warrants or tickets that are infringing on their ability to hold a license and help the veterans take the necessary steps to reinstate their license.
  
  “The clinic was a great opportunity to learn by helping real people with real problems. The clinic gave me hands-on experience that I would have never read about in books or learned by sitting in a classroom. Working in this clinic helped me remember why I wanted to go to law school in the first place, which is to help others.”

  

   

  Nour Alaouie ‘22

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  Expungement Clinic

  Students have the opportunity to participate in expungement eligibility mini-clinics. In doing this, students learn how to read a criminal record, learn about the law that governs setting aside a conviction, and get the opportunity to work directly with clients needing assistance.

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  Greening of Detroit Clinic

  First-year students have also worked with Greening of Detroit, a non-profit that serves Detroit through planting trees and other beatification projects, that also offers a job training program that creates job opportunities, some of which require a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Students in the clinic provided information to trainees with civil issues or misdemeanors on how to resolve the matters so that they could pursue their CDL and improve their employment opportunities.

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  Pope Francis Center Legal Clinic

  In the past, students had the opportunity to volunteer at the Pope Francis Center and work alongside law firms, etc. to assist guests of the Center with a variety of legal issues.
  
  “Helping people is really what practicing law is all about, and the mini-clinics helped me understand how important pro bono work is for the community.”

  

   

  Sydney Fontanilla ‘22
  
  

  “This experience helps future lawyers gain an appreciation and understanding of the barriers to access across populations, and could motivate students to consider public need and social policy in their various interests in the law.”

  

   

  Brandon Alford ‘23

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  Unemployment Clinic

  Prior to Sugar Law establishing a full clinic, students had the opportunity to assist Sugar Law in doing intakes and assisting clients with identifying evidence to support their unemployment compensation claims.

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  Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Hearing

  Students assist attorneys and non-attorney foreclosure experts from the United Community Housing Coalition and Michigan Legal Services. In January, the Wayne County Treasurer’s office has Show Cause Hearings for thousands of Wayne County residents who are facing tax foreclosure on their residential property. Students observe and support attorneys; students review documents to make sure they are complete and do other administrative tasks to allow attorneys to work with more clients.
  
  “This clinic developed my interest in real estate, property and business in the context of legal rights and community development. When I look back to this experience I realize how important it is to use my privilege to support those who are most vulnerable to systemic forms of racial, social, and economic injustice.”

  

   

  Sarah Elsayed ‘22

Traveling Expungement Clinic

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  Traveling Expungement Clinic

  The Traveling Expungement Clinics provide individuals with no cost, legal services to determine if their criminal record was eligible for expungement and to assist them in navigating the complicated process. These clinics offer expungement services in mid-northern Michigan and to date, 50 students have travelled to sixteen counties providing assistance to more than 500 people to determine their eligibility for expungement. Students work with volunteer attorneys, court officials, judges, sheriffs, and Detroit Mercy Law faculty and staff. 

  In 2020, Detroit Mercy Law Clinical Program, (now Dean) Associate Dean of Experiential Learning, Nicholas Schroeck, Adjunct Professor Judge Michelle Rick and (now Assistant Dean) Clinic Director of Operations and Outreach, Rebecca Nowak, received the State Bar of Michigan Kimberly M. Cahill Leadership Award for the 2019 travelling expungement clinic. This award is presented to a recognized local or affinity bar association, program, or leader for excellence in promoting the ideal of professionalism or equal justice for all, or in responding to a compelling legal need within the community during the past year or on an ongoing basis. 

  “The Expungement Clinic was a legal innovation designed to restore dignity, pride, and, in some instances, life necessities to persons among us who have paid their debt to society and otherwise atoned for their past wrongdoings. Expungements are restorative. They have the power of opening doors that would remain closed - doors to employment, to student loans, to public benefits and other opportunities, and to a better life.”

  

   

  Hon. Michelle Rick '91, Court of Appeals, Clinton & Gratiot County, Adjunct Professor

News from the Clinic Program

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  Celebrating 60 Years of Clinical Legal Education

  View the 2025 edition of the Docket.