In the Policy Advocacy Clinic (PAC), interdisciplinary teams of law and public policy students represent clients in non-litigation, community-led campaigns to to reduce harmful impacts of the criminal legal system locally, statewide, and nationally. PAC’s approach is ground-up (rooted in the lives of real people), problem-based (addressing pressing social issues), and client-driven (accountable to client organizations).
Currently, PAC students represent clients in: (1) local police and prosecutor accountability campaigns, (2) a statewide campaign to end wealth extraction in the criminal legal system, and (3) two national campaigns in states outside California to end criminal and juvenile system fees.
In the seminar, students learn the substantive law and policy skills relevant to their clinic projects, and explore the capacities and limits of lawyers and policy analysts to solve problems.
In the clinic, students hone a broad range of strategies and skills, including but not limited to: interviewing clients and other experts, conducting legal and social science research and analysis, consulting stakeholders (community members, policy and advocacy organizations, public officials, academics), and filing public records requests. By participating actively in state and local campaigns, students also learn other advocacy skills, such as messaging, facilitation, and coalition management.
Students produce internal and public-facing written work for clients and partners, such as draft legislation, legal, policy, and fiscal memos, fact sheets, public comments, research reports, practice manuals, presentations, and know your rights materials. Some students have the opportunity for oral advocacy by preparing, practicing, and delivering testimony and public comment to a variety of audiences, including city councils, county boards of supervisors, regulatory bodies, and state legislatures.
The clinic instructional staff includes Stephanie Campos-Bui, Cameron D. Clark, TJ Grayson, Delaney Green, Samantha Lee, Gus Patel-Tupper, Jeff Selbin, Devan Shea, Georgia Valentine, Asher Waite-Jones, and Maiya Zwerling.
PAC student Sarah Edwards (MPP ’20) testifies on adult fees to Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors (September 17, 2019).
PAC students Dagen Downard (JD ’20) and Savannah Reid (JD ’20) testify on juvenile fees to Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee (May 10, 2019).
PAC student Shelby Nacino (JD ’18) speaks at San Francisco City Hall on clinic’s new report, Homeless Exclusion Districts: How California Business Improvement Districts Use Policy Advocacy and Policing Practices to Exclude Homeless People From Public Space (September 18, 2018).
PAC students present research findings on juvenile fees to San Mateo County Board of Supervisors (June 19, 2018).
PAC students present research findings on juvenile fees to Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors (October 25, 2016).
View Flickr photo album of the Right to Rest press conference, where PAC students presented research findings about California’s anti-homeless laws at the State Capitol (February 2015).
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