MC|Law Youth Court Clinic

Law students enrolled in the Youth Court Clinic act as a representative who will serve and advise young people who are facing accusations of committing status offenses and offenses that the court would consider a misdemeanor or felony if the accused were tried as an adult. This clinic minimizes the distance between theory and practice by providing students the chance to learn Youth Court Law, interview potential clients and material witnesses, advocate for the accused juvenile in courtroom proceedings, and advise children and youth to connect them with the most appropriate rehabilitative alternatives to incarceration where appropriate. Students receive instruction in child psychology, identifying markers of child abuse and neglect, client interviewing, and case file management. Students also study the substantive and procedural laws impacting cases of alleged child abuse and neglect, the cessation of parental rights, and finalization of adoptions in Mississippi courts. Law students are admitted to the limited practice of law under the close supervision of a faculty member.