![]() ![]() By the end of this school year, the clinic anticipates having filed at least 8 requests for due process hearings, far more than any other organization or firm in the state. In the last year for which data is available, there were only 14 requests for due process hearings for the year in the entire state of Louisiana. The clinic's special education advocacy in formal dispute resolution proceedings provides a much needed service for the community. Many of the settlements also require schools to contract with outside experts to provide intensive behavioral supports and services for the students. Through its litigation work, the clinic has been able to get 5 different students, including a preschooler, back into school and has obtained hundreds of hours of compensatory education for its clients. Clinic practitioners have also been able to settle 5 of these cases with favorable terms for their clients while 3 are still pending. Student practitioners prevailed in the only matter that went to trial, resulting in the reversal of the expulsion of a high school student. The Youth Justice section is having a busy 2022-2023 academic year filing and litigating 10 administrative complaints on its special education docket, including 6 requests for due process hearings before the Division of Administrative Law. This section also offers to engage in policy work on pressing reforms related to juvenile justice, educational rights, and other areas of youth justice. 80 Damekia Morgan, JDAI Facility Assessment Report: Youth Study Center, (New Orleans: Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives, 2018), 6. Students interested in careers as criminal defense attorneys will benefit from this clinic by developing trial skills and knowledge of criminal law and procedure in addition to learning the specialized skills and procedures specific to the representation of youth in delinquency proceedings. Clinic students advocate for the youth’s expressed interests while providing a high-quality, holistic defense. ![]() The clinic also defends youth accused of delinquency in juvenile court at all phases of proceedings, from first appearance through trial and disposition. Many of the clinic’s special education cases also require formal dispute resolution involving mediation, the drafting and filing of administrative complaints, and litigation before administrative tribunals. Clinic students gain valuable experience with negotiation and client-centered representation advocating at Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and other meetings at the school level. Student practitioners represent parents of special education students in disputes over eligibility, discipline, services, accommodations, education in the least restrictive environment, and other issues related to the student’s right to a free and appropriate public education. The Youth Justice section teaches student practitioners the substantive law, procedure, and practical lawyering skills needed to advocate for the special education rights of students with disabilities and to defend youth in delinquency proceedings. ![]()
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