2025 Clinical Education Program Update

The Disaster Relief Clinic (DRC), directed by professor David DeJute, provides pro bono legal help to individuals harmed by the Eaton and Palisades fires. Soon after the fires began, pop up clinics were staffed by volunteer students, lawyers and professors at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law to provide immediate help in navigating the complexities which a major disaster can cause. In order to assist individuals in need of help from FEMA, the DRC provided assistance in applying for aid and also in appealing denials of aid. The DRC also provided legal help against unscrupulous profiteering, offering advocacy for individuals who had lost their homes and were susceptible to price gouging when looking for new places to rent. Similarly, homes left standing needed to be remediated from the toxic ash and detritus caused by the fires. However, companies providing this service often make false promises, deliver inferior service, and then overcharge. Among the other many needs, insurance issues probably posed the most serious problem to homeowners seeking to literally rebuild their lives. The DRC has helped clients navigate the complexities of their insurance coverage and, in some instances, reform the insurance policies to have limits increased.

Because the fires occurred on January 7, 2025, after the semester had already begun, the School of Law originally opened the Disaster Relief Clinic with a director and two staff attorneys. Summer interns then supplemented the legal aid provided until the Clinic began formally in fall 2025. Since the opening of the DRC, FEMA aid has been obtained, price gouging and poor remediation have been curtailed, and insurance proceeds paid to policyholders have been increased. Standing alongside a client not only provides much needed legal help to that client, but it also teaches the students how to practice law. DRC students have experienced, first hand, the benefits of providing pro bono legal services to those in need.

For more information, visit the Disaster Relief Clinic page.

This Faith and Family Mediation Clinic, directed by professor Sarah Nissel and professor Yona Elishis, practices at the intersection of California family law, interfaith and intercultural work, Jewish law and practice, and alternative dispute resolution and mediation. Clinic faculty and students provide mediation services to families in civil and religious courts. For divorcing Jewish couples, parties often must receive a religious divorce in addition to a civil divorce. The Clinic collaborates with the Jewish Divorce Assistance Center of Los Angeles (JDAC), a non-profit organization focused on reaching amicable resolutions to civil and Jewish divorces through mediation and other supportive techniques.

Over the last year, students in the clinic worked on 10 live mediations and effectuated 9 agreements that provided those families with peaceful resolutions to their end of marriage issues. Among those, students in the clinic mediated cases involving high conflict individual disputes and matters where mental health challenges complicated family dynamics, and also assisted in drafting judgments to help finalize family resolutions. Through these experiences, students developed tools for helping parties communicate effectively.

Professor Sarah Nissel has published an article arising from the work of the clinic, "Execute Justice and Charity for Your People: Jewish Divorce Mediation as a Model for Intrareligious Peacekeeping," published in the January 2025 edition of Religions journal. The article can be found here.

For more information, visit the Faith and Family Mediation Clinic page. 

The students at the Geoffrey H. Palmer Startup Law Clinic (SLC), directed by professor Sam Wu, continue to serve and represent entrepreneurs of technology startups with corporate formation, founders' stock issuances and capitalization, corporate governance, tech transactions, early-stage angel investor financings, and venture capital transactions. Each semester, the students are divided into teams advising a group of startups involved in various technology sectors.

The Startup Law Clinic is going on its 8th year of representing startups primarily in the technology space. Within the last few years, we have helped launch and incorporate over 70 startups. Many of these startups have closed multiple rounds of early-stage and venture capital financing, and a few have had exits via acquisition. Some of our clients have received funding from some of the top venture capital firms in the country and have been accepted into Silicon Valley accelerators to continue to grow their startup. The clients coming through our doors have spanned the technology sector, including edtech, health technology, social community platforms, augmented reality, drone technology, and countless other exciting areas. For this semester, our students advised and structured Delaware corporations for a golf-tech company, a health AI startup, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of an established health supplement company based in Chile.

The teams of students worked with the Delaware Secretary of State to successfully incorporate their clients. They also advised their clients and drafted the necessary documents to adopt bylaws, complete the board consent in lieu of the initial meeting, and execute restricted stock purchase agreements. The students took the lead on conference calls with clients, answering questions relating to the state of incorporation, issuance and sale of stock, composition of the board of directors and executive officers, and establishing an advisory board. As part of the corporate formation, the students subsequently qualified their clients in various states in order to conduct business pursuant to state law. In addition, the students conducted blue sky state securities law research in each of those states to make the necessary state filings to obtain an exemption from securities registration. Finally, our SLC students provided guidance to the clients regarding early-stage financing structure and strategy, discussing (i) debt versus equity financings, (ii) convertible bridge note structures, and (iii) startup valuation. By coming through the clinic, our startups will have the foundation and structure to be venture capital funding-ready.

The Startup Law Clinic exists to bridge the gap from law student to a practicing transactional attorney in a law firm. As these students graduate and become attorneys, they will have to learn very quickly how to convert their head knowledge of legal concepts to the practical execution of representing technology clients, drafting documents, redlining agreements and closing transactions. The aim of the Startup Law Clinic is to give them a competitive advantage so that they can hit the ground running.

For more information, visit the Startup Law Clinic page. 

The Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Religious Liberty Clinic is directed by professor Eric Rassbach and professor Daniel Chen, in partnership with Jones Day. In May, the Third Circuit issued a ruling in Hilsenrath v. School District of the Chathams that followed the reasoning and arguments of the Clinic's amicus brief and oral argument presented by Chris Pagliarella, an attorney with the Clinic's partner law firm, Jones Day. The case involved a lawsuit by the parent of a child in the school district who complained that a world history course described the history of the Muslim world, claiming that teaching about Islam (as opposed to teaching anyone to believe in Islam), was forbidden by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Clinic's brief on behalf of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty explained that learning about the existence and history of world religions does not bear any of the historical hallmarks of an "established" church, that is--an official state church like the Church of England. The Third Circuit adopted the amicus brief's reasoning in its 3-0 decision. Clinic students Dalton Orsborn and Jake O'Neill drafted the brief alongside Jones Day attorneys.

In August, the Clinic submitted an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in Landor v. Louisiana, a case that involves the religious rights of prisoners. In the case, Damon Landor, a devout Rastafarian prisoner, was shaved bald by Louisiana prison officials despite clear and longstanding precedent in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stating that the Rastafarian religious practice of not cutting one's hair is protected. The question before the Supreme Court is whether Landor can seek damages from the prison officials under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The Clinic's brief on behalf of professor Byron Johnson, an expert on prison religious practices, explained that allowing prisoners to follow their religious practices allows prisoner reintegration into society and reduces recidivism. Clinic student Isaac Zwerling drafted the brief along with Jones Day attorneys, based on several prior Clinic briefs prepared in the case by previous Clinic students. The case was argued to the Court on November 10.

In October, the Clinic submitted an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit in Woolard v. Thurmond. The amicus brief, on behalf of the Religious Freedom Institute, supports Christian homeschooling parents seeking equal access to public benefits for school students provided by the State of California. Clinic students Juliette Kashani and Zarine Sargsian drafted the brief along with Jones Day attorneys.

For more information, visit the Hugh and Hazel Darling Foundation Religious Liberty Clinic page.

The Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic, directed by professor Brittany Stringfellow Otey, provides multi-site legal services to clients and guests of Union Rescue Mission and Covenant House California. Additionally, the Clinic receives referrals from a wide variety of government agencies and community programs, providing opportunities to serve clients representing a broad cross-section of those living in Los Angeles. Over its 27 year history, the Clinic has trained hundreds of law students and provided free legal services to thousands of clients.

This year, students assisted over 100 clients from partnering organizations, including Los Angeles’ Safer At Home initiative. Common issues included family law, income tax, consumer law, benefit controversies and post-conviction re-entry. With intensive instruction and guidance, students perform client interviewing and counseling, legal research, and motion preparation. In addition, the Clinic provides legal education programs to various social service organizations and community groups all throughout Los Angeles.

For more information, visit the Legal Aid Clinic page.

The Pepperdine Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (PLITC), under the leadership of professor Isai Cortez, continues its steadfast commitment to providing vital tax controversy assistance to low-income individuals. As the Clinic addresses the challenges of a dynamic tax environment, our tax clinic enables us to serve clients effectively while offering students hands-on opportunities to grow as skilled advocates.

This year, the PLITC proudly served 30 new clients and conducted 33 consultations, extending crucial assistance to taxpayers who often have nowhere else to turn. Among these, one case stands out as a testament to creative advocacy and perseverance. In this instance, the taxpayer failed to report Amazon sales, missed multiple IRS notices, and ultimately lost the opportunity to have their case heard in Tax Court. As a result, the client faced more than $80,000 in tax debt for two years, despite having made very little profit. Clinic students developed a strategy to secure another chance through a due process hearing. Using this approach, the Clinic has already succeeded in clearing one of the tax years in its entirety, and the second year remains under review. Although progress is temporarily paused due to the government shutdown, the outlook is very promising.

The Clinic continues to address a wide range of tax controversies, including audits, examinations, collection issues, and access to critical tax benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. Our students’ work directly contributes to the financial stability of our clients and their families, fostering recovery and resilience within the community. The PLITC remains a cornerstone of Pepperdine’s mission to combine service, education, and advocacy.

For more information, visit the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic page.

The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, through the Mediation Clinic, has continued its ongoing collaboration with the Center for Conflict Resolution, providing day-of-hearing mediation services to litigants on the unlawful detainer, small claims, and civil harassment calendars at the Los Angeles Superior Court.

The Mediation Clinic, directed by professor Stephanie Blondell, includes students from the JD, LLM, and MDR and Certificate programs, with seats for scores of students each year, serving in courts across Los Angeles County to provide pro bono mediation services to hundreds of pro per litigants. Students in the Mediation Clinic have the opportunity to mediate various types of cases, including landlord/tenant, employment, and consumer cases, as well as other commercial cases referred to the Clinic.

For more information, visit the Mediation Clinic webpage.

In 2025, the Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic, directed by professor Curt Cutting and professor Rebecca Powell, has taken on two new civil rights cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In Gilliland v. Eason, the clinic is representing a plaintiff who is suing local prison officials who forced him to undergo medical procedures without his consent. In Powell v. Ortiz, the clinic is representing a man who is suing two police officers for excessive force.

In June, clinic students Madeline Enlow and Brooke Newman presented oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, representing Justin Paulo, who is incarcerated in Nevada state prison. Paulo is a plaintiff in a civil rights lawsuit alleging that prison officials violated his Eighth Amendment rights by not allowing him out of his cell for outdoor exercise, and violated his First Amendment rights by not providing him with meals consistent with his religious beliefs as a Buddhist.

The clinic also received a decision in 2025 in a case that was briefed and argued in 2024. In King v. Villegas, the Ninth Circuit issued a published opinion holding that the district court wrongly dismissed our client’s lawsuit against two prison guards who assaulted him.

For more information, visit the Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic page.

The Restoration and Justice Clinic (RJC), directed by professor Tanya Asim Cooper, remains committed to serving victims of domestic violence and human trafficking in Los Angeles County, California, and nationwide. In the past year, the Restoration and Justice Clinic helped many survivors escape harm and begin anew.

RJC students engaged in a variety of advocacy from obtaining domestic violence restraining orders for victims after trials in Los Angeles County to counseling sex trafficking victims and clearing their records from their forced criminalization.

The clinic partners with L.A.-based legal organizations as well as national legal service providers. RJC is a member of the LA-based working group of advocates, law clinics, courts, legal services organizations, prosecutors, and public defenders practicing California vacatur (expungement plus sealing) laws for human trafficking victims.

Through its direct client representation, staffing local domestic violence walk-in legal clinics, and participation in local task forces, RJC continues to raise awareness about domestic violence, sex trafficking, forced criminalization, and the power of legal organization-law clinic partnerships.

For more information, visit the Restoration and Justice Clinic page.

The Quattrone Wrongful Convictions Appellate Clinic, directed by professor Naomi Goodno, is made possible through a generous gift from Frank Quattrone and Denise Foderaro. The Clinic provides law students with hands-on experience in appellate advocacy on behalf of individuals who have been wrongfully convicted. Though the Clinic will begin formally in January 2026, the Clinic has already begun substantive work.

In partnership with Loyola’s Project for the Innocent, the Clinic submitted its first amicus brief to the California Supreme Court. The brief argues that when courts set money bail at an amount a defendant cannot afford, it is the functional equivalent of an order denying bail in violation of Article I, Section 12, of the California Constitution. The brief highlights how such bail practices increase the risk of wrongful convictions by pressuring innocent individuals to plead guilty simply to avoid prolonged pretrial incarceration.

In partnership with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California, the Clinic submitted an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit in September. The brief challenges the improper application of civil procedure standards to habeas corpus exhaustion issues, emphasizing that such procedural hurdles can prevent courts from reviewing claims of actual innocence. In partnership with the law firm Dykema—the Clinic’s inaugural legal partner—students work alongside seasoned attorneys on litigation teams dedicated to securing justice for the innocent.

As part of its mission, the Clinic will host an annual conference in recognition of Wrongful Conviction Day. The inaugural event, The Science of Justice: Evidence, Error, and Exonerations, featured keynote speaker M. Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project, and included the presentation of the Courage Award, to exoneree Terrill Swift, honoring extraordinary commitment to justice.

This fall, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law welcomed professor Jackie Adams as the Interim Director of Externships. She has hit the ground running, transforming the externship workshop curriculum to reflect a “holistic lawyering” approach. More than 200 students participate in the externship program each year, with placements in a wide variety of practice areas. The placements are varied and interesting, providing essential skill building and opportunities for professional identity formation.

Students work in a wide variety of placements, ranging from conducting felony preliminary hearings at the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, to working on content for a law firm chatbot, to experiencing the excitement of entertainment contracts, and many honing their research and writing skills. Not every workplace is always dynamic and rewarding, and some students are learning the inevitable, but equally valuable, lessons of difficult conversations, workplace boredom, and uncomfortable salary negotiations. The externship program’s supervision and workshops ensure that students are prepared for the practice of law and that they are approaching every experience as an opportunity for growth and professional development.

For more information on externships, see the JD Externships page.

Professor Nancy Hunt directs our Washington DC Externship Semester, located at Pepperdine’s Washington DC campus. In addition to the externship workshop, the Washington DC Externship Semester offers two additional courses, Lawyering in the Nation’s Capitol and Advanced Legal Writing.

This year, students were largely concentrated in the Department of Justice, including in the Major Federal Crimes and Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Sections in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Employment Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division at main Justice. In addition, externship students worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Senate Committee for Foreign Relations.

For more information, see the Washington DC Externship Semester page. 

Additionally, our students work in externships globally through our London Program and the Sudreau Global Justice Initiative in Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana.

For more information, see the London Program and Sudreau Global Justice Institute pages.