Project Description

Minn-LInK Report Brief—Special Topic No. 23, Summer 2015
Authors: W. L. Haight  & J. M. Marshall

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a law school clinic that provides free legal representation to parents who have had their children removed from their care. Specifically, we examined the quality of (1) legal representation provided by a student- and faculty-run law clinic to parents involved in the foster care system, and (2) education received by student attorneys. This study answered the following research questions:

  1. How successful is the Clinic in achieving outcomes desired by participants? Specifically,
    how successful is the Clinic in achieving:
    • Reunification within 12 months,
    • Case closure within 12 months, and
    • Placement with relatives within 12 months of the child’s removal from home
  2. What are the strengths and challenges of the Clinic’s parent representation from the
    perspectives of parent clients, clinic staff, and court professionals?
  3. What are the strengths and challenges of the Clinic’s legal education from the perspectives
    of students, clinic staff and court professionals?

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Minn-LInK is a unique collaborative, university-based research environment with the express purpose of studying child and family well being in Minnesota using state administrative data from multiple agencies.