Information for Law Students
What is the East Bay Workers' Rights Clinic?
The East Bay Workers' Rights Clinic is a weekly clinic where Boalt students provide low-income workers with legal advice about problems they're facing at work.
On a typical clinic night, each law student counselor meets with a client, discusses their client's issues with a supervising attorney, and then provides the client with their legal options.
Both the clients and the issues we see are quite varied. Our clients often have problems with discrimination, denial of wages, wrongful termination and claims for disability and unemployment.
Who runs the clinic?
We're a student run organization with four student directors and you - law student counselors willing to spend a Thursday evening every other week meeting with clients and helping them with their work related issues.
The Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center provides us with manuals and supervising attorneys and helps with promotion and organization. Check out their website at: www.las-elc.org.
When does the clinic meet?
The East Bay Workers' Rights Clinic meets every Thursday evening from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (dinner is provided for the clinic conselors). During the first 45 minutes of each clinic, a local attorney leads a group discussion on an area of substantive employment law. Students spend the remaining time working one-on-one with a client and an attorney.
The clinic runs year round and students are expected to participate for the entire year. We start in September, break a few weeks before finals and resume after the break in January. The spring session also breaks before finals. For students who are staying in the Bay Area over the summer, the summer session begins in June and runs every other week through August.
Is the clinic a significant time commitment?
We are asking for a pretty big commitment, but trust us, it's manageable and worth it. Volunteering as a clinic counselor is a one year committment. The clinic meets every Thursday, but we divide the student counselors into alternating groups, so each group meets every other Thursday, or twice a month.
Where does the clinic meet?
The clinic meets at the East Bay Community Law Center at 3130 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley. The East Bay Community Law Center is accessible on AC transit, it's two blocks from the Ashby BART, and street parking is available if you drive.
Why should I join the clinic?
The East Bay Workers' Rights Clinic gives law students a unique chance to meet one-on-one with clients and work under the supervision of practicing attorneys. You'll learn substantive employment law and get to put it immediately into practice in a cooperative and friendly environment.
How do I join the clinic?
UC Berkeley law students can join the clinic at the beginning of each Fall semester. For more information, please contact workersrights@law.berkeley.edu.