Clinical Teaching - Seminar Curriculum

	Deborah Thomas explains tenant rights to purchase at Capitol Manor in 2005

Seminars cover three elements:  theory, doctrine and skills.  While a particular class might emphasize one of these elements, seminars constantly integrate all three.  The staff leads fall seminars on theory, doctrine and practice skills, while students lead most spring seminars on self-generated topics that delve deeply into the clinic’s mission.  With faculty guidance, students develop their presentation skills in the spring seminars.

Fall Semester.  The fall semester is more structured than the spring semester.  It introduces students to the concepts, doctrine and basic skills associated with being a community development lawyer.

• Orientation
  • Nature of poverty
  • History of community development
  • Working definition of community development
• Theory
  • Nature of poverty
  • Nature of community
  • Role of the community lawyer
  • Debate over affordability vs. wealth creation
• Doctrine – legal rules and applications
  • Real estate
  • Business associations
  • Contracts
  • Mortgages
  • Taxation
• Skills – Simulation of a complex real estate transaction
  In a multi-week simulation, students represent opposite sides of a transaction. Their job is to reach agreement and draft a contract concerning the transaction. Staff members play the role of the parties or a senior partner in the students’ law firm. The exercise develops the following skills:
  • Interviewing and counseling
  • Case planning and management
  • Financial analysis and budget planning
  • Negotiation
  • Drafting

Spring Semester 

• Student-run classes – Students lead a majority of classes after developing topics in conjunction with the teaching staff.  Recent topics include:  new urbanism, franchising, arts as an element of community development, problems of the concentration of poverty, workforce housing, advantages or disadvantages of home ownership, Individual Development Accounts, secondary mortgage market, predatory lending
  
• Faculty-led classes
  • Return to nature of poverty, community and power
  • Panel discussion of community lending
  • Federal HOPE VI program with two field visits

	Harrison Institute for Public Law Georgetown University Law Center 111 F Street NW, Suite 102 Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-662-9600 Fax: 202-662-9613 Email: see staff link above