SMU Dedman School of Law

Clinical Program

Beginning in 1947, the Clinical Program at the Dedman School of Law was among the country’s first to sponsor a community legal clinic. Today, it remains a national model of excellence. The Program has evolved over the years, reflecting changing perspectives in legal education and innovation in legal practice. However, at its core, the Program remains committed to the ideals that shaped it from its inception: public service, professional responsibility, and outstanding skills training. The Program now encompasses five specialized clinics and two projects:

Clinics & Projects

Civil Clinic
Represents low-income clients in matters ranging from housing disputes to elder advocacy to civil rights litigation.

Criminal Defense Clinic
Represents Dallas county citizens charged with offenses and face the possibility of imprisonment. It works with the Dallas Public Defender’s Office and provides students with felony trial experience.

Federal Taxpayers Clinic
Was the first tax clinic in the country with the authority to represent clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Tax Court. The clinic represents low-income taxpayers needing to resolve tax problems with the Audit, Appeals and Collection divisions of the I.R.S. and the U.S. Tax Court.

Small Business Clinic
Introduces student attorneys to practical applications of business formation and provides needed representation for small start-up companies and individuals developing private nonprofit entities.

W. W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic
Represents children who have been abused and neglected in Dallas County. The Clinic is appointed by juvenile district court judges to serve as guardian/attorney ad litem. Interdisciplinary lectures given by psychologists, forensic detectives, child development specialists and social workers are a significant component of this clinic.

Consumer Advocacy Project
Made possible by a grant through the Texas Office of the Attorney General, reaches out to the local bilingual Hispanic community and helps resolve consumer complaints with recourse to formal litigation and focuses on informal advocacy, negotiation and mediation strategies, as well as community education.

Death Penalty Project
Exposes students to actual death penalty cases and combines classroom teaching with practical experience.
 

Clinic Contact Information: 214-768-2562


Clinic Faculty:

Maureen Armour
Co-Director of the Civil Clinic and Associate Professor of Law

Mary Spector
Director, Consumer Advocacy Project
Co-Director of Civil Clinic and Associate Professor of Law

Felicia Oliphant
Director, W. W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic

Larry Jones
Director, Federal Tax Clinic and Small Business Clinic

Mike McCollum
Co-Director, Criminal Justice Clinic

Brook Busbee
Supervising Attorney, Criminal Justice Clinic

Eliot Shavin
Supervising Attorney, Civil Clinic
Adjunct Instructor

Eric Cedillo
Coordinator, Consumer Advocacy Project


Clinic Administrative Assistants:

Gloria Parrish 
Consumer Advocacy Project and Criminal Justice Clinic

Kathy Lowe
W.W. Caruth, Jr. Child Advocacy Clinic, Tax Clinic, and
Small Business Clinic

Lisa Montes 
Civil Clinic

  

Mailing Address:
SMU Dedman School of Law
P.O. Box 750116
Dallas, TX 75275-0116

Physical Address:
SMU Dedman School of Law
3315 Daniel Avenue
Dallas, TX 75205